On Tuesday, Nov. 2, Rhode Islanders will be asked to approve the Transportation Bond Referenda, Question 3. Approval of this bond will provide funds to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation to match available federal funds and provide direct funding for improvements to the state highways, roads and bridges; replace or repair transportation maintenance facilities; and purchase buses for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority’s fleet.
The bonds will total $66.52 million and break out this way: $60 million will be used to match federal highway funds and/or provide direct funding for improvements to the state’s highways, roads and bridges; $5.02 million will be used to replace or repair existing transportation maintenance facilities or construct new maintenance facilities; and $1.5 million will be used to purchase buses for RIPTA’s bus fleet.
Rhode Island receives, on average, $186 million in federal highway funds each year. With the state’s dependence on these funds, the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) serves as a work program for RIDOT’s capital plan establishing priorities for planning, design and project implementation. Maintenance activities are funded exclusively with gas tax dollars. Annually, the state provides $30 million in bond funds as well as about $13 million in gas tax to provide the match to the federal highway funds and to pay for 100 percent state funded activities and projects.
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Examples of projects that are needed and likely to be scheduled in the 2005-2008 period, partly due to voter approval of the transportation bond program on the November 2004 ballot include:
• Routes 4 and 1 – North Kingstown from Shady Lea to the Route 138 interchange. Work will include median closures and new interchange ramps.
• Route 5/Route 13 intersection – Warwick from Metro Center Blvd. to Route 113. Work will include a highway reconstruction including a new intersection with Route 113.
• Royal Mills Bridge – Warwick and West Warwick over the Pawtuxet River. Work will include a bridge rehabilitation.
• Cliff Walk – Newport from Ruggles Avenue to Bailey’s Beach. Work will include a rehabilitation of the walkway.
• Blackstone Bike Path Contract 7A – Lincoln, North Smithfield and Woonsocket from Manville Hill Road to Woonsocket Water Treatment Plant. Work will include construction of a new portion of the bike path.
RIDOT is also asking that the bonds be used to improve some of its maintenance facilities. The maintenance facilities currently located on Cherry Hill Road in Johnston and on Washington Highway (Route 116) in Lincoln would be consolidated. The new facility would consist of a 15,000-square-foot state-of-the-art building on land in the Smithfield/Lincoln/Johnston/I-295 area. The facility would be a fully functional maintenance operation complete with maintenance bays, a truck wash, fuel pumps, paint booths, inside and outside storage, and a salt storage structure.
In addition, the Portsmouth maintenance facility would be replaced with a new structure. The Portsmouth facility provides highway services for Route 24, East Main Road, West Main Road, the Mount Hope Bridge, all highways in Tiverton, Little Compton, Warren, Bristol, Newport and Middletown. A replacement facility in Portsmouth would require the acquisition of land. The current maintenance facility is old and run-down with no area for the indoor storage of maintenance vehicles and equipment.
Without passage of the transportation bond referenda, no new road, bridge, bike path or enhancement project could be done for the next two years. RIDOT is already struggling to keep up with the wear and tear on its infrastructure system. Non-passage of this bond would cripple the entire transportation system and have a devastating effect on the state. More importantly the $378 million in matching federal funds pledged to RIDOT would simply be given to other states.
Good things come from the passage of this bond. Last time voters approved it, RIDOT replaced 10 significant bridges, created almost 12 miles of bike paths, and resurfaced, crack-sealed and micro-surfaced more than 282 miles of roads. Plus, infrastructure improvements boost our economy and will employ approximately 5,500 Rhode Islanders.
All of this goes a long way toward improving the quality of life both on and off road.
James R. Capaldi is the director of the state Department of Transportation.
