Governor McKee, City and Town Officials Highlight RhodeRestore—Governor McKee’s Municipal Road Grant Program

Published on Wednesday, October 16, 2024

WARWICK, RI – Governor Dan McKee, Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) Director Peter Alviti, Jr., Warwick Mayor Frank Picozzi, North Providence Mayor Charles Lombardi and South Kingstown Town Administrator James Manni, as well as Warwick Representative Joseph Solomon Jr. (D-District 22, Warwick) and Senator Matthew LaMountain (D-District 31, Warwick, Cranston), gathered at a Jefferson Boulevard site to highlight progress and announce new funding for RhodeRestore, Governor McKee’s Municipal Road Grant Program.

For FY25, RhodeRestore will provide $7 million in state funding to be matched at a ratio of 33 percent state funds and 67 percent local funds. The $7 million is being divided evenly among all 39 municipalities; each is eligible to receive up to $184,000. Cities and towns across the state are already submitting their applications; nearly 130 have been approved to date, with more than 100 more under review.

“RhodeRestore has been a huge success, enabling our administration to help cities and towns fund necessary improvements to roads that otherwise might not be able to be repaired for several years,” Governor Dan McKee said. “Together with the work we're doing at the state level, we’ll improve Rhode Island's infrastructure rankings while providing smoother, safer roads for our residents.”

“RIDOT is proud to help our cities and towns apply and be reimbursed for these funds,” RIDOT Director Peter Alviti said. “Most people don’t know that 80 percent of all the roads in Rhode Island are not maintained by RIDOT, but by our cities and towns. I thank the Governor for making it a priority to address the condition of our local roads.”

In FY24, the debut year of RhodeRestore, the program provided $20 million in state funding to municipalities in Rhode Island, serving as a one-third match to city and town dollars that funded two-thirds of the cost of locally maintained road repair projects. Collectively, the program yielded $74 million of improvements, funding repairs in 823 projects to 522 lane miles of road, 129,700 linear feet of sidewalks, and two bridges. All 39 cities and towns participated in the program.

The total value of projects in the second year of RhodeRestore is expected to reach $21 million, and could grow higher as municipalities complete their applications. RIDOT will approve the new applications on a rolling basis. Most communities have indicated they will start these new projects as soon as possible next spring.

“The Municipal Road Grant Program has been a resounding success for every community in this state,” said Representative Joseph Solomon Jr. “I’m proud to have worked with the rest of the General Assembly to provide this funding which has been well-utilized for so many projects throughout the state. I’m gratified that this money has been put to good use, and I look forward to seeing more of these projects in the future.”

“Ailing roads and sidewalks are a serious issue that impacts quality of life in neighborhoods across Rhode Island,” said Senator Matthew LaMountain. “The RhodeRestore Program is an outstanding example of how state and local partnership can effectively address these challenges. I am extremely grateful for the support this program is providing to help improve essential infrastructure in the City of Warwick and across our state.”

Today’s announcement was held at the Gamm Theatre on Jefferson Boulevard, which is the widest and longest municipal road in Warwick. The city initiated a $1.6 million project that paved a total of 6.1 lane miles from I-95 to Main Avenue. Jefferson Boulevard is an import commercial corridor linking several types of businesses, including shipping companies, financial institutions, retail and wholesale businesses, and the TF Green commuter rail station. Additionally, Warwick completed 34 projects using $1.42 million in SFY2024 funding. The total value of projects in Warwick is $5.2 million.

“The RhodeRestore program greatly stretched our paving budget which enabled us to take on some large projects in the city and for that, we are extremely grateful,” said Warwick Mayor Frank Picozzi.

Also discussed was the repaving work in North Providence. Speaking of his city’s FY24 budget, North Providence Mayor Charles Lombardi explained, “Our annual budget allowed us to pave 48 roads, but thanks to Governor McKee’s Municipal Road Grant Program, we were able to pave an additional 11 roads.” When combining the FY24 RhodeRestore funding and the new FY25 award, North Providence will be able to repave nearly 100 city roads."

In Southern Rhode Island, South Kingstown is utilizing funds from both the first and second years of RhodeRestore to pave the entirety of Old North Road. This road not only serves many residential properties from Kingston village in Route 138 heading north toward Stony Fort Road and Slocum, but many students, staff, and faculty at the University of Rhode Island’s primary campus.

“The Town of South Kingstown is very appreciative of the $744K in grants received over the past two years from the Rhode Island Municipal Road and Bridge Program,” said South Kingstown Town Manager James Manni. “This significant funding support from the Governor has allowed the Town to accelerate its road paving program by 25% impacting hundreds of properties and thousands of residents.”

Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien, who was able to upgrade two bridges with the RhodeRestore funding, also provided the following statement: "We are grateful to have received $184,000, and $684,000 last fiscal year from the RhodeRestore program this year, which will be dedicated to citywide paving projects. These funds will help address some of Pawtucket’s most urgent paving needs, improving bridge and road safety and enhancing the quality of life for our residents. We remain committed to working with state and local leaders to ensure that every dollar is used effectively to benefit our communities. These projects are about more than just roads and bridges—they’re about safety, accessibility, and building a stronger future for Pawtucket."

The public can track the progress of RhodeRestore online at www.ridot.net/RhodeRestore. The web also includes an interactive dashboard that reports on the number of approved projects and their dollar value by community.