Town eyes grant to help pave roads



Town administration is recommending a plan to set aside $770,000 for road paving so a potential grant from the state can be maximized.

Ed Mello, interim town administrator, said Gov. Dan McKee has proposed for every city and town in Rhode Island to receive a grant of $385,000 to improve transportation infrastructure. The grant, however, requires a 66 percent match from the municipality. To maximize the grant, which is part of McKee’s proposed 2023-24 budget, taxpayers in Jamestown would need to contribute $770,000 toward the $1.15 million in repairs.

If local voters approve the proposed budget at the financial town meeting, the town will have $682,000 to use for road improvements, Mello said. Historically, he added, about $300,000 is proposed annually for paving, and if that same contribution is made in 2024-25, the balance for paving would be $982,000.

Mello is recommending using $212,000 of that amount this year to install a bike path parallel to North Main Road from West Reach Drive south to the reservoir. He also hopes it can finance a drainage project on a network of streets off East Shore Road, including Reise Road, Bay Terrace and Penny Road. That would give the town the $770,000 it needs to maximize the grant if the $300,000 is approved in 2024-25.

“We would hold back those funds so we can maximize that grant opportunity,” he said.

Mello introduced the plan to the town councilors at their May 15 meeting. Mary Meagher, vice president, questioned whether they should invest the entire $770,000. Mello, however, said it “seems to make sense for us to capitalize” on the state’s entire $385,000 share.

“We can reduce that number, certainly,” Mello said.

For every dollar they slashed, however, they would lose 50 cents, he added.

Councilman Erik Brine commended Mello for his “innovative and creative” thinking to leverage outside aid.

“It’s one of the things that I think we have to do most because we have such a small capital budget for the infrastructure we have,” he said. “I think maximizing that number is really important because, even at $1 million over that time, it’s not enough of an investment to update and manage our roads.”

McKee’s proposed $20 million program uses federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan to leverage municipal investments. Roughly 80 percent of roads in Rhode Island — 5,000 miles — are maintained by cities and towns. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation maintains the balance with nearly 1,100 miles under its jurisdiction, including Conanicus Avenue, Narragansett Avenue, Hamilton Avenue, East Shore Road, North Road, Southwest Avenue, Beavertail Road and Walcott Avenue.

“As the state works to repair roads and bridges to improve Rhode Island’s national infrastructure rankings, we want to provide support to our municipalities to do the same,” McKee said. “This must be a team effort if we want to get results.”

According to data submitted to the Federal Highway Administration, nearly half of all municipal roads in Rhode Island are in poor condition. Jamestown, however, fares better. With about 50 miles of municipal roads in Jamestown, Mello said 75 percent of those roads are rated in good condition, 17 percent are deemed fair and 8 percent are poor.