Home Economy RIDOT awarded $81M federal grant for freeway connection to Quonset Business Park

RIDOT awarded $81M federal grant for freeway connection to Quonset Business Park

By

Christopher Allen

-

01/25/2024

THE R.I. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION was awarded an $81 million federal grant to improve the connections between Interstate 95 and Quonset Business Park, including completing the ramps between Interstate 95 and Route 4. / COURTESY R.I. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Department of Transportation will receive $81 million in federal funding to build highway ramps that will allow for a smoother connection between Quonset Business Park and Interstate 95 as part of the $7.25 billion Infrastructure for Rebuilding America Grant program that awards grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The project,

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PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Department of Transportation will receive $81 million in federal funding to build highway ramps that will allow for a smoother connection between Quonset Business Park and Interstate 95 as part of the $7.25 billion Infrastructure for Rebuilding America Grant program that awards grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The project, estimated to cost $135 million, will build connections between the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 and Route 4 and northbound lanes of Route 4 to southbound Interstate 95. For decades, traffic has had to use smaller local roads to make those connections. Route 4 is a major route to Quonset. The work will also include building three "missing" ramps along Route 403 to improve access for truck and freight operators approaching Quonset Business Park, the 3,200-acre hub that is currently home to more than 239 companies employing 14,000 people. “With this connection, they can travel seamlessly,” said RIDOT Director Peter Alviti Jr. The upgrade will reduce traffic congestion and pollution, according to the press release. RIDOT said the project should decrease greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 500 metric tons per year. “This is a smart investment in growing Rhode Island’s economy, improving traffic flow, and helping thousands of Rhode Islanders get to and from work quicker and more efficiently,” said U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., who helped shepherd through the $4 million planning grant in 2022 as a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. Created in 2015, the INFRA includes nearly $300 million in infrastructure projects across Rhode Island and is the second largest the state has received after the $60.3 million awarded in 2019 to rebuild the Northbound Providence Viaduct. “The investment will provide a huge boost for the continued growth of Quonset Business Park and make driving in southern Rhode Island more convenient and less congested for drivers,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I. Other INFRA projects in the state include a 2020 award to overhaul Route 146 and a $82.5 million grant in 2022 to upgrade the Newport Claiborne Pell Bridge. Steven J. King, managing director of the Quonset Development Corp. said the new highway connections and ramps will make it easier to ship products and materials. Quonset currently generates $5.9 billion in economic output, roughly 8.3% of the state’s GDP, according to its 2023 economic impact report. Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com.