NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI — Governor Dan McKee, Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressmen Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo, Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) Director Peter Alviti, Jr., and Quonset Development Corporation (QDC) Managing Director Steven King joined with state and local officials to break ground on one of RIDOT’s newest projects, the I-95 “Missing Move” and Quonset Ramps Construction Project.
This $144 million project has been in discussion for decades. It includes construction of two critical ramps that were never built when Route 4 was constructed in the 1960s and will afford direct highway connections between I-95 North and Route 4 South, and Route 4 North and I-95 South. The project also will make numerous improvements at and near the Quonset Business Park, the state’s largest industrial park.
RIDOT was able to move forward with this project after receiving an $81 million federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant.
“This project has been talked about for decades, and ... we’re finally turning words into action,” McKee said. “This crucial infrastructure investment will improve traffic flow and unlock economic potential at Quonset — one of our state’s major job creators. I want to thank Rhode Island’s congressional delegation and all of our partners for helping us move this project forward.”
“This is a big win for drivers because it will improve efficiency, shorten commutes, and reduce congestion while also improving access for truck and freight operators approaching Quonset Business Park,” Reed said. “This was a collaborative effort that builds upon decades of federal investment into Quonset. I was pleased to help lay the groundwork for this project by securing a $4 million planning grant in 2020.”
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“The INFRA Program I championed through the Environment and Public Works Committee and into law is supporting a slew of major infrastructure projects across Rhode Island,” said Whitehouse, who worked to create the INFRA Program to help meet Rhode Island’s need for large-scale infrastructure investments. “[This] INFRA grant-funded groundbreaking will support continued economic growth at Quonset and finally add the missing move to go between Route 4 and I-95.”
“Once again our congressional delegation put their shoulders into the federal grants process and helped Rhode Island get this funding so we can finally build these missing ramps,” Alviti said. “Their construction will reduce travel times, provide more efficient movement of freight traffic, and alleviate congestion and delays, especially at the Division Street/South County Trail intersection, which is overloaded with traffic that has had no choice but to use local roads to make certain connections between I-95 and Route 4.”
The project is divided into two main components. The first portion to be constructed includes three ramps on Route 403 in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, to connect the Quonset Business Park’s west Davisville district. The project also includes a new roundabout south of Route 403 at Compass Circle. The improvements will provide improved connectivity to all parts of the Business Park and add in ramps that were not included in the Route 403 reconstruction project in the late 2000s. These will be complete in summer 2026.
The second component, which will begin construction in early 2026, includes the missing moves at the I-95/Route 4 interchange in Warwick, Rhode Island. RIDOT will build a new flyover bridge to link Route 4 North to I-95 South. The ramp will use an existing right of way for an at-grade link between I-95 North and Route 4 South. The missing moves are expected to be done in summer 2027.
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To compensate for the missing ramps, RIDOT has made numerous adjustments to the traffic signals on Division Street and at its intersection with South County Trail (Route 2). As the area has continued to be developed, especially the growth at the nearby New England Institute of Technology campus, traffic and congestion has steadily increased. The Division Street/South County Trail intersection alone is the site of 60 crashes per year.
RIDOT also will make safety improvements on I-95 South at the Route 2 interchange on the Warwick/West Warwick line. RIDOT will rebuild the entrance to the Route 2 South to I-95 South ramp so those traveling on Route 2 North can use it. With that ramp accommodating both northbound and southbound traffic on Route 2, RIDOT will permanently close the Route 2 North to I-95 South ramp, removing a weaving conflict on I-95 South.
All these new ramps will give passenger vehicles, heavy trucks, and other freight traffic freeway access without using local roads while reducing emissions from idling vehicles. The improved access also will make the business park more attractive to companies who wish to locate there.
All construction projects are subject to changes in schedule and scope depending on needs, circumstances, findings, and weather. Final completion of the entire project is expected in spring 2028.
