Rewrite this title RI to repave 18 miles of I-95

RICHMOND, R.I. (WPRI) — State officials are kicking off construction season, giving an overview of the transportation projects planned for this year during the groundbreaking ceremony for a major resurfacing project at the southern end of I-95 in Rhode Island.

The $19.3 million project will resurface nearly 18 miles of highway north and southbound combined, starting at the Connecticut state line in Hopkinton and ending at the Baker Pines Bridge at Exit 7 in Richmond.

“It’s one of dozens of roads in Rhode Island, many of which haven’t been paved in decades,” RIDOT Director Peter Alviti said.

The goal, Alviti said, is to improve the stretch that people see when they first enter the Ocean State.

“As we welcome people in from out of state the first impression they get is what the roads look like and we want to make sure their first impression is a positive one,” he explained.

Alviti also said construction is a year ahead of schedule, and the project has expanded by 1.5 miles thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

“We look forward to another great year for road and bridge construction, creating good-paying jobs and providing Rhode Islanders safer and smoother roads,” McKee added.

The resurfacing is one of 66 projects the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will work on in 2023, and I-95 isn’t the only road scheduled for repaving this year. Other roads that will be under construction include:

“Folks are going to see a lot more ‘road work ahead’ signs in the coming weeks and months,” Sen. Jack Reed said. “We appreciate everyone’s patience safely navigating through work zones now and the end result will be a smoother, safer, more efficient ride and improved roadways for many years to come.”