Rhode Island

Change will create a more direct link between Downtown Newport and the City’s North End
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is reminding motorists that tomorrow night, Thursday, March 30, it will open a new intersection at the Pell Bridge Ramps Project, reconnecting two sections of JT Connell Highway that were bisected more than 50 years ago with the construction of the original ramp system. The new intersection is located where JT Connell Highway meets the JT Connell Connector Road, which opened last year.
The new intersection will offer a better, more direct connection between Downtown Newport and the city’s North End. RIDOT will install additional pathfinding signage throughout the project area that will clearly show drivers how to reach major destinations such as Downtown Newport, the Navy Base, the Pell Bridge and West Main Road heading to Middletown and Portsmouth.
Traffic will be able to use the new intersection in the following ways:
• JT Connell Highway Northbound (Coming from Downtown Newport): Traffic will go straight through the new intersection toward the roundabout. From there, drivers can easily access the Navy Base, RK Shopping Center, Admiral Kalbfus Road or other roads in the North End heading toward Middletown. Drivers will still be able to turn right onto the JT Connector Road to access the Pell Bridge.
• JT Connell Highway Southbound (Coming from North End, Roundabout and Admiral Kalbfus Road): Drivers headed to Downtown Newport will use the roundabout and head south on JT Connell Highway and go straight through the new intersection toward Downtown. Traffic on Admiral Kalbfus Road coming from West Main Road, the Navy Base or North End will need to use Halsey Boulevard southbound to reach the Pell Bridge, as they do today.
The opening of the new intersection is the first in a series of traffic pattern changes RIDOT is implementing this year, with the goal of making a number of improvements prior to the busy summer tourism season. They include:
• In mid-April, RIDOT expects to open a new, dedicated on-ramp from JT Connell Highway northbound and southbound to the Pell Bridge. This will eliminate the traffic signal now in use at the end of the JT Connell Connector Road. Traffic will have its own lane onto Route 138 West toward the bridge and will not have to stop or yield.
• By late April, RIDOT will conduct a weekend closure of Admiral Kalbfus Road at the former Route 138 overpass for demolition of this bridge.
• By Memorial Day, RIDOT will realign the intersection of Farewell Street and America’s Cup Avenue to eliminate the sharp curve at the start of America’s Cup Avenue which will improve safety and traffic circulation. In addition, the Department plans to activate a new traffic signal with pedestrian crossing features at the intersection.
RIDOT will announce the exact dates of the new ramp opening, bridge demolition and Farewell Street improvements well in advance.
The $74 million Pell Bridge Ramps Phase 2 project is rebuilding the road network connecting to the Pell Bridge to make travel into Newport easy and safe. It includes a new efficient ramp system that will reduce congestion, especially the backup of vehicles on the bridge from the Downtown Newport exit, and improve the connection between Newport’s North End and the downtown area. With a smaller footprint, the new design also will spur economic development as it frees up approximately 25 acres of land. It will be finished by the end of 2024.
Additional information about the project and the latest traffic pattern changes will be posted at www.ridot.net/PellBridgeRamps. The web page also has a form anyone can use to sign-up to receive regular project updates emailed directly to them.
All construction projects are subject to changes in schedule and scope depending on needs, circumstances, findings, and weather.
The Pell Bridge Ramps Phase 2 Project is made possible by RhodeWorks, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure and Improvement Act. RIDOT is committed to bringing Rhode Island’s infrastructure into a state of good repair while respecting the environment and striving to improve it. Learn more at www.ridot.net/RhodeWorks.

PROVIDENCE, RI – Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore, in collaboration with Governor Dan McKee, today announced the tentative calendar for the upcoming special election in Congressional District 1. The special election will fill the vacancy anticipated by Congressman David N. Cicilline’s planned resignation from the United States House of Representatives. The calendar is contingent upon Congressman Cicilline’s resignation and the issuance of the Writ of Election as proposed by Governor McKee.
Governor McKee’s proposed Writ of Election calls for the primary election to be held on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 and for the special election to be held on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.
“Over the last several weeks, the Rhode Island Department of State has worked closely with the Governor’s Office to develop the calendar for this upcoming special election,” said Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore. “I look forward to continuing our partnership and working with the Board of Elections and our local cities and towns to ensure an efficient election. I encourage eligible voters and potential candidates to review the proposed calendar and take action now to ensure they are prepared to participate in this upcoming election.”
Based on these dates, the Department of State has created a tentative calendar for the special election. Voters and potential candidates should be aware of the following dates and deadlines:
– May 31, 2023: Potential candidates must be registered to vote in Rhode Island; deadline for candidates to disaffiliate from their political party to run as a candidate from another party
– June 29-30, 2023: Candidate declaration period
– No later than July 6, 2023: Nomination paper signing period begins
– July 14, 2023: Deadline for candidates to submit nomination papers to the local Board of Canvassers (4 p.m.)
– August 6, 2023: Voter registration deadline for the primary
– August 15, 2023: Mail ballot application deadline for the primary
– August 16 – September 5, 2023: Early voting period for the primary
– September 5, 2023: Special primary
– October 8, 2023: Voter registration deadline for the special election
– October 17, 2023: Mail ballot application deadline for the special election
– October 18 – November 6, 2023: Early voting period for the special election
– November 7, 2023: Special election
Additional information will be available in the coming weeks.
Voters are encouraged to visit https://vote.sos.ri.gov/ to check their registration status and make any needed updates. Voters can determine if they are a Congressional District 1 voter by clicking “View/Update My Voter Record” and viewing their district information.
Individuals who are not registered to vote and want to learn more about registering can do so online at https://vote.sos.ri.gov/ or by visiting their local board of canvassers.
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PROVIDENCE, RI – The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) today announces the award of $104,769 in matching grants to eight communities and marinas to help expand and maintain boat pumpout facilities and keep coastal waters across Rhode Island clean.
The grants, funded by the US Fish and Wildlife Service Clean Vessel Act (CVA), help municipalities, marinas, and yacht clubs pay for improvements to marine and land-based pumpout facilities. DEM applies for federal funds to buy or replace CVA equipment for use by these entities to offer free pumpouts. Since 1994, DEM has awarded over $2.5 million in CVA grants.
“Most of us know it’s not right to discharge wastewater directly from our boats into Narragansett Bay or the ocean. In fact, it’s illegal to pump waste within three nautical miles of the Rhode Island coast,” said DEM Director Terry Gray. “DEM works with municipal and marine trades partners to prevent the discharge of boat sewage, which impairs water quality by introducing bacteria and other pathogens and chemicals that are harmful to humans and marine life. The support of the US Fish and Wildlife Service Clean Vessel Act helps accomplish this by subsidizing pumpout facilities that empower thousands of Rhode Island recreational boaters to do their part to keep the bay and coastal waters clean.”
Boat sewage can threaten water quality by introducing bacteria and other pathogens, excess nutrients, and chemicals that are harmful to humans and marine life. In 1998, Rhode Island became the first state in the nation to receive a statewide “no discharge” designation from the US Environmental Protection Agency that prohibits boaters from discharging sewage into local waterways.
The 2023 grant recipients include:
o Barrington Yacht Club: $1,943 for the maintenance of a stationary pumpout on the Barrington River
o Providence Marina: $1,100 for the maintenance of a stationary pumpout on the Providence River
o Safe Harbor Cove Haven Marina (East Providence): $37,420 for the replacement of an existing stationary pumpout on Bullock Cove
o Safe Harbor Greenwich Bay Marina: $5,925 for the maintenance of existing stationary and mobile pumpouts on Greenwich Bay
o Safe Harbor Wickford Cove Marina: $1,017 for operating costs of an existing stationary pumpout on Wickford Cove
o Town of Jamestown: $27,000 for the construction of a new stationary pumpout and the maintenance of two existing stationary pumpouts in Jamestown
o Town of New Shoreham: $7,500 for maintenance of three existing mobile pumpout boats in Great Salt Pond
o Westerly Yacht Club: $22,864 for the replacement of an existing stationary pumpout on the Pawcatuck River
There are currently 15 pumpout boats and 59 facilities located across Narragansett Bay and coastal waters. Many existing facilities require repair and upgrades as they have exceeded their useful life expectancy since initial construction. All pumpout facilities must be kept fully operational to adequately meet demand and help prevent sewage discharges into RI waters. (Here is a map of marine pumpout facilities.) The grants require a 25% funding match and funded facilities must be available to all boaters. In addition, grant recipients agree to charge no more than $5 per 30 gallons of sewage pumped.
Some 40,000 boats are registered in Rhode Island, and the state welcomes many thousands more visiting boats each year. Last year, a total volume of over 600,000 gallons of sewage was pumped out at these facilities and diverted from directly entering Rhode Island’s coastal waters.
Along with fishing and many other commercial and recreational interests, Rhode Island shellfish harvesters benefit from CVA pumpout grants. For more information on RI shellfish harvesting, click here or email here DEM.Shellfish@dem.ri.gov. For more information on DEM programs and initiatives, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow DEM on Facebook, Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM), or Instagram (@rhodeisland.dem) for timely updates.