Many local road, bridge projects in RhodeWorks plan

Initiative calls for $109M investment in Johnston work over next decade

By Tim Forsberg
Posted 7/28/16

According to the “new” Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT), many of Johnston’s ailing roads and bridges will soon receive major overhauls.

“I don’t even want to begin to …

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Many local road, bridge projects in RhodeWorks plan

Initiative calls for $109M investment in Johnston work over next decade

Posted

According to the “new” Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT), many of Johnston’s ailing roads and bridges will soon receive major overhauls.

“I don’t even want to begin to think what some of the consequences of some of the conditions of these bridges are if we don’t start addressing them very quickly,” RIDOT Director Peter Alviti said during an interview last week. “I don’t want to be the DOT director that’s there when we face the kinds of problems that we’ve seen happen elsewhere in the country where we have bridge failures.”

Over the next decade, the state plans to invest $109.31 million in Johnston on 25 bridge, nine pavement, and three traffic problem projects to address long-overdue repairs.

“I do think when I’m out and about and I talk to people, people complain a lot about the condition of our roads. Everyone says, ‘Governor fix the roads, governor fix the potholes,’” said Gov. Gina Raimondo, who joined Alviti during the interview. “So, at the end of the day, that’s what we’re doing. We’re fixing the roads. It just happens that in order to fix the roads, first we had to fix DOT, then we had to figure out a way to get some more money, and now we’re actively fixing our roads.”

Raimondo and Alviti provided insights into their plans for infrastructure repairs in town through the RhodeWorks program, and addressed concerns about the traffic changes for residents from the proposed Citizens Bank campus off of Greenville Avenue.

“RhodeWorks is a 10-year infrastructure plan for Rhode Island, the first time ever that the state has had a long-term plan, complete with the funding, with the funding amount, with the funding sources for the projects, maintenance, a whole proper plan,” Raimondo said. “Then also a restructuring of the DOT, which was essential, I felt, because you can’t just pour money into a problem. We have to reorganize the department and change the way it does business.”

The scope of construction plans for the town is extensive. While the plan runs over 10 years, major projects will occur during the next five years, with work beginning next year.

The six most significant actions the state will take include resurfacing Route 6 from Danielson Pike to I-295, beginning in May 2017 and continuing through June 2019 with a budget of $8.9 million. A highway safety improvement project constructing “jughandle” access from Hartford Avenue to Reservoir Avenue will begin in February 2017 at a cost of $1.5 million, with completion expected in December of next year.

Bridge repairs include the Simonsville Avenue Bridge over Simmons Brook from September 2017 until December 2018, at a budget of $1.5 million. The Greenville Avenue Bridge will be replaced from March 2017 through December 2019 with a budget of $4.7 million, and the I-295 North bridge over Route 6 will be repaired with a budget of $10.5 million from December 2017 until December 2019.

A bundle of five more bridges in Johnston will be repaired as part of an effort to improve the I-295 and Route 6 interchange, with work stretching from December 2017 until May 2020, at a cost of $37.5 million.

“In Cranston, Johnston, and Warwick on our 10-year plan, we’ll be spending $455 million dollars in the next 10 years investing in the roads bridges and environmental cleanup in your area,” Alviti said. “[There are] 178 projects, and if you count routes 6 and 10, it’s almost $1 billion dollars of work that we’re doing in your region.”

According to the governor, changes in the organizational structure of RIDOT now allow for more accountability. A project management system has been implemented, so there’s now a person accountable for every project.

“That is pretty standard and might seem like common sense to you. It’s very powerful it’s never been done,” Raimondo said. “We have way more transparency than there’s ever been. There’s a quarterly report that’s going to be public on the website, so every Rhode Islander can go online and see the status of every project, and every dollar that DOT spends and is responsible for.”

Along with reorganizing and restructure the department, efforts have been made to rebuild RIDOT’s maintenance department to prevent more costly repairs due to neglect.

“They had eliminated the maintenance department, essentially, and that’s why we’re in a mess, because if you don’t maintain things fall apart and you have to rebuild and it’s four times as expensive to rebuild than it is to maintain,” Raimondo said.  “It’s a renewed commitment to transparency, and I hope over time it will give people greater confidence that DOT is doing a good job, is watching every penny and is accountable to the people.”

According to the governor, the plan’s motivation stems from the desire to stimulate Rhode Island’s economy and create new jobs. Recent media focus on the state’s economic conditions also served as a motivator.

“Everything we’re doing is designed to make DOT more effective at creating jobs. So the most obvious thing is about 6,000 jobs will be created in the next 10 years because of the new roadwork. However, above and beyond that, having high quality infrastructure is essential,” she said. “We just had that terrible rating on CNBC, ranking 50 out of 50. We dug into it and I personally talked to the guy that does it, and the factor that got the biggest rating was infrastructure, so he said you have the worst roads and bridges in America and until you fix that you’re never going up on that list.”

Economic factors also played a significant role in the state’s handling of the proposed Citizens Bank campus off I-295 and Greenville Avenue. Arrangements made between the company, state, and town – which include new highway ramps – have come under intense scrutiny from residents in the immediate vicinity.

The 109-acre plot chosen for the 420,000-square-foot facility will house more than 3,200 employees. At their presentation to Johnston’s Planning Board in May, attorney John Bolton, representing Citizens, stated: “At the end of the day, and we can go back and forth on this, this project doesn’t get built without those ramps.”

Alviti believes his work experiences, as well as his participation in previous developments in Johnston, provide unique insights into the proposal.

“When I was in the private sector, right across the street from that [proposed development] is Poppy Hill Farms. I designed that, so I know it’s a nice area for people to move to, it’s going to continue to grow, and they’re going to need some relief,” he said.

While residents have pushed back on the proposed exit ramps to be built off I-295 to provide access to the bank’s campus, Alviti believes such developments were inevitable.

“Number one, if you look at the traffic situation out there in Johnston and Smithfield, Route 44 is atrocious. When you look at the traffic patterns, while they’re linked by Greenville Avenue and also Route 5 south of where this project is down between Hartford Avenue, is atrocious, mainly because people from Johnston, much in that Greenville Avenue area, are looking to get on 295,” Alviti said. “So at some point, there would need to be an interchange there, because that area is beginning to grow.”

Alviti added that the area was a suitable site for an interchange as it is more than a mile away from any other interchange north or south, and that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) would be agreeable to the additions based on initial discussions.

He also added that the $6 million price tag for the proposed ramps will be split between the state and the developer, saving taxpayers money.

“I think everybody wins. I think the town wins. They’ve got a good business that’s now relocating there. I think we win … we’re getting a new asset at half the price,” he said. “And I think the state wins in terms of the economic growth that we were able keep here as a result of us being able to use some common sense and acting more in a business fashion in the way we deliver these projects.”

Some Johnstonians were also concerned about the planning of the project as the ramps have yet to receive full approvals from all agencies. Alviti said that plans are proceeding as normal, with the project being completed within the next year and a half. He does not foresee any roadblocks to getting ramp approvals from all affiliated agencies.

“Everything is progressing nicely and I think the town and everyone is working together and the FHWA is cooperating. I’m not saying there won’t be any hitches, but everybody is working to make sure it does happen,” he said.

For Raimondo, projects like RhodeWorks and the Citizens Bank campus comes down to deciding what’s best for the state’s residents financially over the long term.

“We have to deliver. We’ve got to execute, because people haven’t seen results in a very long time, and the only way they’re going to believe it’s true is if we do it,” she said.  “Citizens Bank is opening. If you were to call the guys at Citizens and say, ‘What’s DOT been like to work with in the process of getting that campus set up?’ I think they’d say they moved really quickly and effectively. So all that stuff adds up to over time help our economy.”

Comments

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  • Raymond

    What about Hartford Avenue near the providence line, the corner of Hartford Avenue and Killingly Street? That project has been on hold for years. Is it on the schedule and what is the plan?

    Friday, July 29, 2016 Report this

  • twiggy

    ""John Bolton, representing Citizens, stated: “At the end of the day, and we can go back and forth on this, this project doesn’t get built without those ramps.”""

    They must be sure those ramps are going in because Citizens Bank is pretty far along in the construction already. They wouldn't spend that much money if they weren't sure. How do they know for sure? A little transparency from our local government would be nice,

    Monday, August 1, 2016 Report this