WARWICK, RI – This morning, Governor Dan McKee, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Congressman Seth Magaziner, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, Rhode Island Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti, Jr., and Warwick Mayor Frank Picozzi gathered at Balise Toyota of Warwick for a kickoff ceremony for the Route 37 RAISE Grant Award Project.
"My Administration remains keenly focused on ensuring Rhode Island's roads and bridges are in a state of good repair and safe for all, and the ongoing work here on Route 37 shows just that," said Governor McKee. "I thank our Congressional delegation for their dedication in securing the necessary federal grants to ensure these improvements are completed, as well as our partners at RIDOT for their continued focus on rebuilding and rehabilitating this vital corridor."
The project will replace and rehabilitate six bridges carrying Route 37 over local roads, arterials, and rail lines, as well as right-sizing the highway corridor to ensure it meets Rhode Island's transportation needs, as Route 37 was overbuilt and a proposed highway extension and bridge over Narragansett Bay was never built.
The project also advances the goals of the Bicycle Mobility Plan and Transit Master Plan by extending the New London Avenue bridge to support future complete streets and transit enhancements along New London Avenue, beginning complete streets improvements along New London Avenue, and building bike path and advisory bike lanes connecting the Washington Secondary Bikeway to Meshanticut Valley Parkway, Route 2, Garden City Center, and Chapel View.
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