Governor Gina Raimondo, Congressman David Cicilline, Central Falls Mayor James Diossa, Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien and Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) Director Peter Alviti Jr. today celebrated the completion of the much needed facelift for Dexter Street in Central Falls and Pawtucket, a project which concluded more than a month ahead of schedule and $800,000 under budget.
"When I visited this site last summer, it was clearly in need of investment – we saw poor road conditions and sidewalks that weren't easy to travel," said Governor Raimondo. "But we came together, took action, and now we are back for a ribbon cutting that is both ahead of schedule and under budget. The improvements made will go a long way toward improving the quality of life in Pawtucket and Central Falls and help keep Rhode Islanders safe."
"Investing in local infrastructure projects like this is one of the most effective ways to put Rhode Islanders back to work and make our state an even better place to live, work, and raise a family," said Congressman Cicilline. "I'm delighted that this federally-funded project has been completed ahead of schedule and under-budget. This is what government should look like – quickly and effectively getting things done and delivering results for the people it serves."
The Dexter Street project's final budget is $4.5 million, 15 percent under the initial project budget. Its completion in late July is more than a month earlier than its original September completion date.
"Dexter Street is the heart and downtown of Central Falls with dozens of businesses and thousands of residents, which is why this project is so important. Because of the leadership of Governor Raimondo and the collaboration of Department of Transportation, the City of Pawtucket, and us, Dexter Street is a more appealing place to those who call it home and those who transit through it daily," Mayor Diossa said. "When all entities come together like this, we can really put the wheels in motion for our constituents and deliver results that increase the quality of life in our city."
"The Cities of Pawtucket and Central Falls have such a tremendous partnership. Dexter Street serves as a major gateway into Pawtucket and we are thrilled with these improvements which increase safety and accessibility while also being more aesthetically pleasing to residents, travelers and the business community of our two great cities," Mayor Grebien said. "This critical infrastructure investment will prove even more valuable when the Pawtucket/Central Falls commuter rail stop is completed. We are making real progress here in Pawtucket and creating real results for our taxpayers as more and more people and businesses Join the Evolution. "
"Our new project management approach provided close supervision of this project, enabling us to complete it faster and at a lower cost than expected," Director Alviti said. "We are ever mindful of the importance of getting projects started and completed as efficiently as possible, providing necessary repairs and improvements with the least amount of disruption to the communities we're working in."
The project included resurfacing of 0.91 miles of roadway from School Street in Central Falls to Goff Avenue in Pawtucket, replacing sidewalks and curbing, upgrading existing traffic signal equipment, installing stamped asphalt crosswalks, planting new trees, adding new roadway signs, and making minor drainage improvements. Work also included repairs to the Dexter Street Bridge, which carries Dexter Street over the Amtrak and Providence & Worcester rail lines in Pawtucket.
The Department also added bike lanes from the Pawtucket/Central Falls line to Goff Avenue in Pawtucket. North of the city line where the roadway is narrower, RIDOT added share-the-road markings known as "sharrows," a marking used to raise motorists' awareness to the presence of cyclists on the road.
Contact: Charles St. Martin (401) 222-1362, Ext. 4007