WPRO News
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse is calling on Congressional Republicans to pass a federal highway funding bill which is set to expire at the end of the month. Whitehouse says failure to renew funding would negatively impact Rhode Island.
Whitehouse said Wednesday the federal highway funding would help propel the state’s reconstruction efforts on its roads and bridges, which are ranked as the worst in the nation.
“By next summer’s construction season if [federal funding] is in place, you could have a much more robust highway program,” said Whitehouse.
Whitehouse pointed to the effort to rebuild the intersection routes 6 and 10 at the Providence viaduct as an example of where federal funding is sorely needed.
“We don’t have the money to rebuild that yet.”
RI Building Trades President Michael Sabitoni echoed similar comments made by Governor Gina Raimondo, the highway reconstruction projects can help turn the state’s economy around.
“You have an unemployment problem, you have a public safety issue, and you can solve that with one thing; and that is a predictable transportation infrastructure bill,” said Sabitoni.
Whitehouse said there is no way the state could fill the monetary hole left behind in the Department of Transportation budget if the funds are not renewed.
