By WPRO News
Senator Jack Reed is announcing a federal grant that would allow the state to rebuild the on and off ramps of the Newport Bridge.
The ramps coming off the Newport bridge were created for a cross island freeway that never was built. The Department of Transportation wants to replace the spaghetti-like roads to nowhere with a series of 4 roundabouts that ease the flow of traffic from the bridge to downtown Newport.
The project would also open up 34 acres of blighted land for redevelopment near the bridge. The federal grant of $20 million would get the state about a third of the way toward the expected $60 million price to rebuild the roads system on the Newport side of the bridge, which is marking its 50th anniversary next year.
