The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) has been chosen as one of four states that will highlight a report being put out tomorrow, Tuesday, February 9, 2010 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). AASHTO’s report is entitled, “Projects and Paychecks: A One-Year Report on State Transportation Successes under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.”
To highlight the Department’s recognition RIDOT will hold a press event tomorrow at Dillons Corner Bridge in Narragansett at 1 p.m. (see directions below). Dillons Corner is a $6.6 million stimulus project replacing two structurally deficient bridges (Dillons Corner Bridge and Point Judith Road Bridge). Repairs to the Peace Dale Stone Arch Bridge in South Kingstown are also a part of this project.
“Projects and Paychecks” has a simple message: Investment in transportation equals good construction jobs now and lasting infrastructure for the future. RIDOT has 62 projects in its stimulus program – up from the initial 54 because of competitive bidding that allowed the Department to stretch its dollars further.
Rhode Island, along with Georgia, Michigan and Nevada, has been selected as success stories and the regional representatives for this report.
RIDOT’s Director Michael P. Lewis will speak at the event and be available for Q & A afterwards. --30--
DIRECTIONS: Take I-95 South to Exit 9 (Route 4 South). This merges into Route 1 South. Take the Narragansett exit and make a left at the light at the bottom of the exit ramp. Go under the overpass, stay right at the rotary and park about ¼ mile down at the salt storage facility immediately opposite Washington Trust Bank. To get to the event site, turn left out of the parking area and walk along the sidewalk towards Dillons Corner Bridge (the bridge you just drove under). The event will be held in the grassy center of the rotary. Flat shoes are suggested.