The good news is that the R.I. Department of Transportation expects to spend north of $700 million on projects identified by Gov. Gina M. Raimondo’s RhodeWorks program this year.
While the effort is broad in its ambition, anyone who has driven in Rhode Island over the last decade knows that even that much bridge and road repair cannot satisfy all the needs in the Ocean State.
One of the major selling points of the program has been the growth of the construction-employment sector that the work is supposed to bring. Yet the numbers do not reflect the full potential that all the state’s needs could bring.
In March, construction employment grew by 200 workers since March 2018 to a total of 19,600, a 1% growth rate.
Whether it’s from the perspective of jobs or a desire to drive on smooth roads, the state needs to stop kidding itself. Rhode Island needs a lot more than RhodeWorks. And it needs to stop thinking that it won’t cost anything.
Investment brings rewards. But investments mean money, and the sooner the state realizes that, the better.