WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo today announced that the Trump administration unfroze $251 million in previously announced federal funding to support critical transportation projects across Rhode Island.

“Transportation investment should be driven by need and merit - not partisanship.  The Trump Administration is legally required to provide these funds -- which were authorized and appropriated by Congress and awarded by the previous administration – and never should have been frozen in the first place.  We’re talking about overdue, needed upgrades and maintenance to bridges along our interstate highway system.  We have seen the exponential cost of allowing bridges to fail,” said Reed, a member of the Appropriations Committee.  “I appreciate Senator Whitehouse’s bipartisan efforts at EPW and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for approaching this issue with commonsense and reaching the right decision. Going forward, the Trump Administration needs to work with Congress and states to wisely invest in our infrastructure, enhance the safety and reliability of our transportation network, and strengthen our economy.”

“Through the Environment and Public Works Committee, I have successfully pushed to release significant funds for major Rhode Island infrastructure projects.  Chair Capito has helped me, and I am grateful for her effort and support.  As a result, USDOT is freeing a quarter billion dollars we had secured for the I-95 bridge repairs on top of our previously announced $221 million emergency Washington Bridge funding,” said Whitehouse, the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.  “That’s more than half a billion dollars kicked loose for Rhode Island infrastructure.  I’ll continue pressing to free and secure federal funding for Rhode Island’s job-creating infrastructure investments.”

“This funding will improve safety and commute times for thousands of Rhode Islanders every day,” said Magaziner.  “Along with the rest of the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, I will continue to advocate for our state to get our share of federal funding to improve our infrastructure and quality of life.”

“I’m thrilled that our state will be receiving federal infrastructure funds that we helped secure for critical upgrades in the Ocean State,” said Amo.  “As we continue to translate these federal dollars into improvements to better connect communities in Rhode Island, I look forward to working in close coordination with our delegation, state, local, and federal partners, to deliver safe, reliable, and sustainable infrastructure for generations to come.”

The most recent unfrozen federal funding includes $251.1 million for the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) to address the condition of 15 bridges located along nearly 10 miles of National Highway System pavement.  These bridges provide key neighborhood connections throughout the cities of Providence and Cranston, and also serve 180,000 vehicles daily, including roughly 9,000 truck and heavy freight vehicles.  This federal funding will allow RIDOT to take a major step in addressing the I-95 corridor holistically while maintaining the safe and efficient movement of freight and multimodal users to arterial roads carried over interstates.  RIDOT plans call for replacing 11 bridges and eliminating four.  The project will improve vertical clearances on I-95 and reduce bridge strikes.

The federal funds will flow to Rhode Island through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bridge Investment Program (BIP).  Senators Reed and Whitehouse helped create BIP in 2021 through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provided federal funding for bridge replacement, rehabilitation, preservation, and protection with the goal of improving safety, efficiency, and reliability.

An additional $549,770 will be unfrozen for the City of East Providence to support the City’s traffic circulation improvements project.

In late March, the delegation announced significant progress to unfreeze federal funding for reconstruction of the westbound Washington Bridge, as the state gained access to the first $30 million wave of funds from over $220.9 million in federal grants for the Interstate-195 Washington Bridge, which has been partially closed since December 2023 due to a catastrophic failure.

On a national level, the American Society of Engineers’ most recent report found that underinvestment in infrastructure could cost American households and businesses nearly $2 trillion over 20 years, or as much as $625 per household per year.