PROVIDENCE – Gov. Donald L. Carcieri, House Speaker William J. Murphy and R.I. Department of Transportation Director Michael P. Lewis this afternoon joined in unveiling plans for the transportation infrastructure portion of the state’s federal stimulus funding.
Rhode Island is slated to receive $138 million in direct aid for transportation and infrastructure projects under the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) signed into law on Feb. 17. (READ MORE) The money will support 50 separate projects, including work in nearly every Ocean State city and town.
“These funds will further our ongoing efforts to improve Rhode Island’s infrastructure and support a strong economic development foundation,” Carcieri said in a statement. “Not only will this enhance our state’s transportation system, but it will also put Rhode Islanders back to work.”
The new money, state officials stressed, will be in addition to the nearly $60 million already allocated by the states to construction projects slated to begin in 2009 – such as the first phase of the Interstate 95 Pawtucket River Bridge replacement, plans for which were unveiled recently. (READ MORE)
“The department is ready to handle this increased workload and is excited about completing these much needed projects for Rhode Island motorists,” said Lewis, the DOT director.
His department expects to receive authorization this week for $25.9 million in Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) funding that will support 15 projects slated to get under way next month, when the local construction season begins. Additional authorizations will be granted on a rolling basis, as projects “work through the contract award process and become ready for funding,” the state officials said.
Last Thursday, the governor officially certified the state’s request for $1.1 billion in ARRA funds. (READ MORE) On Monday, he signed the state’s official FHWA request for the transportation-infrastructure portion of that aid.
Altogether, the 50 new transportation projects are expected to create 5,000 jobs: 1,500 direct jobs and another 3,500 indirect positions. They will include maintenance work on the Jamestown-Verrazzano Bridge; the repair or replacement of another five bridges across the state; the resurfacing of 45 miles of state roads; and the replacement of highway lighting or guardrails and repair of deteriorating pavement on another 80 miles of state roadways.
Those projects, and others, will be tracked on a new Web site that Carcieri unveiled today. The portal, at www.recovery.ri.gov, is “designed to be the central point of information for all activities related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,” the governor’s office said.
“As information becomes available, this site will assist Rhode Islanders in locating information about sources of funding, opportunities for competitive grants, and other assistance provided through the Recovery Act,” the office added.
It also will include “all certifications, reporting, project status, and expenditures related to the Recovery Act,” to enable taxpayers to see how the money is being spent, as well as links to various federal and state agencies, answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) and additional news and information.
The new site was developed at no cost to taxpayers, through a partnership between the Governor’s Office of Economic Recovery and Reinvestment (OERR); Rhode Island Interactive, the private company that operates ri.gov; and the R.I. Department of Administration’s Division of Information Technology (DoIT), the governor added.
Information about Rhode Island state projects supported by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) is being posted at www.recovery.ri.gov.
A full list of the 50 local ARRA transportation projects and a new Contract Opportunities Calendar are available from the R.I. Department of Transportation at state www.dot.ri.gov. Additional information about road and bridge projects across the state is available www.RhodeWork.com.
News and information from the R.I. Governor’s Office are available at www.governor.ri.gov.
Information about the federal government’s financial stabilization efforts is available at EconomicRecovery.gov.
