Governor McKee, Congressional Delegation, RIDOT Break Ground on I-95 Resurfacing Project, Kicking Off 2023 Construction Season

RICHMOND, RI – Governor Dan McKee, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Congressmen David Cicilline and Seth Magaziner, Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) Director Peter Alviti, Jr. and state and local leaders gathered today at the I-95 North Welcome Center in Richmond to break ground for the I-95 Resurfacing Project, kicking off the 2023 construction season.

The $19.3 million project will resurface both directions of I-95 from the Connecticut state line in Hopkinton to the Baker Pines Bridge in Richmond, near Exit 7 (old Exit 4), covering nearly 18 miles of Interstate highway. It is one of many paving projects that was accelerated thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. These new funds allowed RIDOT to begin the project one year sooner and extend the length of highway to be paved by 1.5 miles.

Paving will be a key focus of the 2023 construction season. RIDOT is in its second year of investing nearly $500 million in resurfacing projects across the state, restoring many roadways that had been neglected for decades. A full list of paving projects is available at www.ridot.net/RIDOTPaving.

The I-95 Resurfacing Project is one of 66 projects, valued at $1.9 billion, that RIDOT will work on this year. In addition to paving projects, the new federal Infrastructure Act has accelerated about 100 projects in the department’s 10-year-plan. These projects include bridge rehabilitation, resurfacing, traffic safety projects, stormwater and bike/pedestrian improvements.

“We look forward to another great year for road and bridge construction creating good paying jobs and providing Rhode Islanders safer and smoother roads,” said Governor McKee. “Thanks to our Congressional Delegation and the Biden Administration, we are able to maximize this important work across our state.”

“Thanks to the incredible work of our federal delegation and the funding they secured for us in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Rhode Island is starting dozens of crucial roadwork projects ahead of schedule this year. That translates into an extra year of safer transportation for Rhode Island drivers and good-paying jobs for our tradespeople,” said Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos. “At the state level, we’ll be working hard to take advantage of this increased investment and improve the roads we all drive on every day.”

“Construction season is officially underway and this is going to be a busy one thanks to the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law we passed. Across Rhode Island, federal funds are being put to work improving our bridges and roads, and modernizing our transportation infrastructure. Folks are going to see a lot more ‘road work ahead’ signs in the coming weeks and months. We appreciate everyone’s patience safely navigating through work zones now and the end result will be a smoother, safer, more efficient ride and improved roadways for many years to come,” said Senator Reed.

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is accelerating infrastructure improvements across Rhode Island, including through a new massive investment in the Pell Bridge via the INFRA Grant Program that I worked on in the Environment and Public Works Committee,” said Senator Whitehouse. “I’m looking forward to seeing continued progress on rebuilding Route 146 and the Providence Viaduct this construction season – two other INFRA-funded projects.”

“For decades, underinvestment in our infrastructure has left us with crumbling and unsafe roads and bridges and inefficient transportation systems. We’re finally turning that around thanks to President Biden’s leadership and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill – whose investments we’re already seeing at work here in Rhode Island,” said Congressman Cicilline. “Thanks to this infusion of federal funding, RIDOT has accelerated approximately 100 projects in its 10-year plan and it will allow us to make real progress on 66 infrastructure projects in 2023. I’m thrilled to kick off the 2023 transportation construction season with the I-95 Resurfacing Project, and am looking forward to seeing all we can accomplish this year.”

“As we mark the beginning of another construction season in Rhode Island, I am committed to ensuring that we move aggressively to repair aging infrastructure and ensure that all Rhode Islanders have access to safe and efficient transportation,” said Congressman Magaziner. “Together with my colleagues in the Congressional delegation, I will always fight to bring home Rhode Island’s fair share of federal investment to fix roads and bridges, expand access to public transit, and grow our state’s economy.”

“This construction season will be one of RIDOT’s busiest ever. In addition to the long-awaited paving projects we will be doing, we’ll make significant gains on some of our largest projects and begin work on dozens of new ones,” Director Alviti said. “Adding to all those work zones, motorists can expect to see crews from our Highway and Bridge Maintenance Division maintaining bridges, cleaning storm drains, cutting grass, picking up litter and performing dozens of other vital tasks to keep our transportation system clean and functioning properly. It’s going to be a great year.”

Now in its eighth year, RIDOT’s RhodeWorks program has initiated 283 projects and completed the repair or replacement of 246 bridges, with 135 bridges under construction now. In total RIDOT has invested $3.2 billion into Rhode Island’s transportation system.

In addition to the I-95 Paving Project, other major paving projects that will be underway in 2023 include:

·     I-295, from where RIDOT finished paving last fall at Greenville Avenue in Johnston and paving all the way to I-95 in Warwick

·     Route 1 and 1A/Post Road, from Coronado Road to Warwick Avenue in Warwick

·     Route 2, from Route 138 in South Kingstown to the Charlestown town line

·     Route 138A/Aquidneck Avenue in Middletown

·     Route 1A, from Wickford village to the Sprague Bridge in Narragansett

Other highlights of the 2023 construction season include:

·     The $410 million Route 6/10 Interchange Project – www.ridot.net/610

·     The $265 million I-95 Viaduct Northbound – www.ridot.net/ProvidenceViaduct

·     The $196 million Route 146 Project – www.ridot.net/Route146

·     The $85 million Cranston Canyon Project – www.ridot.net/CranstonCanyon

·     The $84.9 million Pell Bridge Ramps Projects – www.ridot.net/PellBridgeRamps

·     The $84.4 million Henderson Bridge Project – www.ridot.net/Henderson

·     The $79.5 million Route 37 Bridges Project – www.ridot.net/Route37Bridges

·     The $78 million Washington Bridge Project – www.ridot.net/WashingtonBridge

All construction projects are subject to changes in schedule and scope depending on needs, circumstances, findings and weather.

All the projects in the 2023 construction season are made possible by RhodeWorks and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act. RIDOT is committed to bringing Rhode Island's infrastructure into a state of good repair while respecting the environment and striving to improve it. Learn more at www.ridot.net/RhodeWorks.