RIDOT Celebrates $12.9M Airport Connector Project

WARWICK, RI — Rhode Island Department of Transportation broke ground on the $12.9 million Airport Connector project in Warwick this morning, one of many large paving projects scheduled for 2022.

Governor Dan McKee, US Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressman Jim Langevin, Rhode Island Federal Highway Administrator Carlos C. Machado and Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) Director Peter Alviti, Jr. were on hand to celebrate the start of the effort to improve paving and safety with an ambitious landscaping project that will provide more than 400 plants and trees in both the median and the shoulder. The landscaping is designed to blend seamlessly with similar plantings around Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport to create a visually appealing gateway.

“For thousands of visitors to Rhode Island, the Airport Connector is Rhode Island’s welcome mat,” McKee said. “These improvements will make vital safety improvements while providing a great first impression of our great state.”

“This crucial project will improve safety for drivers while also supporting landscaping to create a beautiful gateway for the thousands of Rhode Islanders and visitors who travel along the Airport Connector every day,” said Langevin. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act continues to deliver for Rhode Island, providing millions of dollars in federal funds to repair our roadways and improve the driving experience for all Rhode Islanders.”

RIDOT began ramp closures to accommodate the work starting July 5, and will periodically close the ramp from the Airport Connector westbound to I-95 South periodically  this week and and during the week of July 24 during evening hours from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The  Airport Connector and Post Road resurfacing project is one of the first major resurfacing projects as part of RIDOT’s commitment to paving statewide. This year, RIDOT will spend $92 million on paving projects and $492 million over the next five years. This project will replace paving on four miles of road and put in new guide signs along the Airport Connector and I-95.

“Visitors and residents alike rely on RIDOT to help get them where they need to go, and I’m pleased to direct federal funding to the state to accelerate and advance key infrastructure upgrades like this. The Airport Connector is a critical access point and these improvements will ensure a safer, smoother ride for everyone getting to and from the airport,” said Reed.

“Combined with other federally funded projects at T.F. Green, the modernized Airport Connector will improve the overall experience of flying out of PVD for locals and tourists alike,” said Whitehouse, a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “Many more job-creating upgrades to Rhode Island’s roads, bridges, and airports are on the way thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure bill we passed in Washington.”