DOT Ranks Road Projects as Communities Compete

Millions of road improvement dollars are up for grabs as the state Department of Transportation releases its ranking of projects competing communities have proposed. 

Projects in Newport, East Providence and Warwick have attracted the most state interest among 23 requests from 14 cities and towns around the state. The DOT has placed its highest priority on improvements to Newport's Broadway, a $1 million streetscape project. Four road and sidewalk improvement projects in East Providence, totaling $1.2 million, rounds out the top 5. Warwick's plan to replace the Mill Creek Bridge is next at $1.6 million.

Projects from Coventry to Tiverton; Narragansett to Middletown are competing for $7 million in state funds as part of the 2014 Municipal Road and Bridge Revolving Loan Fund, created by the General Assembly earlier this year. A panel of DOT, Economic Development and Statewide Planning staff members ranked the 23 project proposals, assigning points according to:

• The extent to which the project generates economic benefits
• The extent to which the project would be able to proceed at an earlier date.
• The likelihood the project will provide mobility benefits.
• The cost effectiveness of the project.
• The likelihood that the project will increase safety.
• The readiness of the project to proceed during the next calendar year.