$1.5M in Ocean Road Repairs Begin Saturday

Release courtesy of RIDOT.

Governor Lincoln D. Chafee and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation announced that the first repair contract for road damage caused by Hurricane Sandy is scheduled to begin Saturday, Nov. 3 – just five days after the storm hit Rhode Island.

Workers from J.H. Lynch and Sons of Cumberland are expected to mobilize for repairs on a portion of Ocean Road in Narragansett damaged by the storm. The $1.2 million contract includes replacement of 3,800 feet of sidewalk from State Pier No. 5 near South Pier Road to the area of Narragansett Town Beach.

The contract also includes replacement of more than 200 feet of seawall, repair of any undermined areas, inspection and repair of drainage systems, and other minor repairs as needed.

Eighty percent of the project costs are funded from $3 million of quick release emergency relief funds provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation on Tuesday.

“It was exciting to learn that Rhode Island had received a quick response to its request for funds for initial repairs to our roads, and even more so to learn that actual repairs could begin less than a week after the storm,” Chafee said. “This is a credit to all involved in helping Rhode Island get back on its feet as quickly as possible.”

“Our team at RIDOT has been working long and hard to evaluate the damage caused by this storm and put a plan in place to fix it,” RIDOT Director Michael P. Lewis said. “We are especially appreciative of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s rapid response to our funding request so we could make this happen.”

RIDOT is putting together design plans for repairs to damaged roadway segments along Rhode Island’s coastline, including severely undermined roads on Block Island. The goal is to have repairs begin in the next few weeks and conclude the projects by the end of 2012.