Reed Announces Extra $44.2 Million Boost for RI Road, Bridge & Infrastructure Improvements

PROVIDENCE, RI - Today, U.S. Senator Jack Reed, a leading member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD), announced a $44.2 million boost for Rhode Island road and bridge work in the coming weeks to help advance the state's transportation projects.

Reed says the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is getting an extra $44,272,826 to advance shovel-ready projects in the coming weeks while providing the state with enhanced flexibility to allocate state transportation funds to other road and bridge improvements and pedestrian projects.

The new money comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) annual August redistribution.

Each year, FHWA shifts transportation funding authority from states unable to utilize the full amount of funding originally authorized to them, as well as from federal transportation grant and loan programs that were underutilized in the current fiscal year, to states that have shovel-ready projects and are able to utilize the funding before the close of the fiscal year at the end of September.

To qualify for this extra funding, RIDOT demonstrated that it will fully utilize the $44.2 million in the coming weeks on projects which fit all requirements for receiving additional federal funding. The additional funds will benefit several ongoing RIDOT projects, such as bridge work, pavement improvements and striping, safety enhancements, and curbing and sidewalk work along pedestrian pathways.

"This extra $44.2 million in federal spending authority for Rhode Island road improvements and infrastructure upgrades is excellent news. RIDOT is hard at work making infrastructure upgrades across the state. These extra funds should accelerate progress in the coming weeks of construction season. It will allow the state to prioritize key projects and help them move faster. We've got to continue investing in our transportation network and ensure it is safe, efficient, and better connects our communities and reduces pollution," said Senator Reed, who supported RIDOT's request to FHWA. "I will continue doing everything I can to make more money available for local projects."

RIDOT will obligate these funds for specific projects by September 25.

This year's redistribution for RIDOT brings the total the state has received over the last three years to $103.3 million.

Nationwide, FHWA reallocated $7.5 billion in federal funding to states from the Highway Trust Fund. In order to receive the federal funds, states are required to match a percentage of the federal funds.

Reed says this additional $44.2 million brings Rhode Island's federal transportation investment total to nearly $456 million for Rhode Island roads, bridges, and pedestrian projects in Fiscal Year 2026.

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