PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island will receive a federal $60.3 million Infrastructure for Rebuilding America, or INFRA, grant to replace and upgrade the northbound Providence Viaduct on Interstate 95, the Rhode Island congressional delegation announced Tuesday.
“This significant federal grant is the linchpin that will allow the state to transform the Providence Viaduct to make it safer and more convenient for the many Rhode Islanders who use it every day,” said U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I. “The investment will create good construction jobs as we bring one of the region’s main arteries into the 21st century.”
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The delegation said that the series of bridges sees roughly 220,000 vehicles daily. The R.I. Department of Transportation intends to begin construction in 2020 and expects work to last five years. The reconstruction plan would include the addition of lanes that would “better separate entering and exiting traffic from other traffic to relieve congestion,” according to a release.
Financing for the project will come from a number of other federal and state sources, including a federally approved Grant Anticipated Revenue Vehicle bond. The General Assembly already approved up to $200 million in GARVEE bonds for the Viaduct reconstruction.
“Without this infusion of federal funding, RIDOT would only have been able to replace the existing structure as is,” said U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. “The funding will enable RIDOT to make lasting improvements and upgrades that will carry us into the next century. … I am pleased we were able to deliver this major federal commitment,” said Sen. Jack Reed.
Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor. You may reach him at Bergenheim@PBN.com.
