Providence, R.I. – Governor-elect Lincoln D. Chafee announced today that he has asked Michael P. Lewis to stay on as Director of the Department of Transportation (DOT).
“Director Lewis is an effective leader who has demonstrated great vision and strong managerial ability,” Chafee said. “Throughout history, economic growth has always occurred around hubs of transportation, and I am confident that Director Lewis will continue to work to maximize our transportation infrastructure and create the kind of growth that is critical to Rhode Island’s economic recovery.”
Governor-elect Chafee decided to ask Director Lewis to remain in his post after interviewing a number of other qualified candidates. Michael P. Lewis was named Director of DOT by Governor Donald L. Carcieri in 2008. He has since overseen the successful completion and operation of major elements of the $610 million Iway project, which involves the reconstruction of the interchange of I-95 and I-195 in Providence, as well as the completion of the $130 million Route 403 Relocation Project, including the construction of a new highway to provide freeway access to the Quonset Business Park. Under his leadership, DOT has begun the construction of a new $163.7 million bridge to replace the Sakonnet River Bridge connecting Portsmouth and Tiverton in southeastern Rhode Island, and has awarded and begun construction on a replacement for the Pawtucket River Bridge on Interstate 95, a weight-limited structure on Rhode Island’s most critical transportation corridor. Prior to leading DOT, Lewis served with the Massachusetts Highway Department and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority from 1984 through 2007. He also served as Director of the Central Artery/Tunnel Project in Boston from 2000 through 2007. A member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Boston Society of Civil Engineers, Lewis attended the McGill University’s Civil Engineering program, and is a graduate of the University of Vermont with a B.A. in Civil Engineering.
The mission of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation is to maintain and provide a safe, efficient, environmentally, aesthetically and culturally sensitive intermodal transportation network that offers a variety of convenient, cost-effective mobility opportunities for people and the movement of goods supporting economic development and improved quality of life.