Earlier this week, the Town Council approved a priority list of requested projects they'd like to see the state take on in #MiddletownRI to make the community safer, more bicycle and pedestrian friendly along with other benefits.
MIDDLETOWN WANTS STATE ROAD WORK
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (MARCH 6, 2025) – The Town Council hopes to see the state get some big road and transportation projects done in Middletown over the next few years.
At a public hearing Monday night in Town Hall, the council set streetscape upgrades to the lower Aquidneck Avenue area, including new sidewalks, street lighting, drainage and other enhancements as its top priority project for the State Transportation Improvement Plan.
Better known as the STIP, the transportation plan sets the road work and improvement goals in Middletown — and across the Ocean State — through 2035.
Town Planner Ronald Wolanski said each community can ask for up to five projects to be included in the STIP. And if a project isn’t on the STIP, it’s unlikely to happen for the next decade unless something dramatic happens.
Rounding out the councils Top 5 included a sidewalk or shared use paths for Paradise Avenue and Oliphant Lane, intersection improvements at East Main Road and Aquidneck Avenue as well as West Main Road and Forest Avenue.
“These are good projects,” council President Paul M. Rodrigues said. “It’s one of those things that whatever we can get done helps.”
In a memo to the council, Wolanski said the STIP is a long-range planning document put together by the State Planning Council. That group is responsible for highway, intermodal, transit, airport and freight rail projects across Rhode Island.
To be eligible for federal funding, he said STIP projects may include:
- Resurfacing, reconstruction or construction of roads that are federal aid system eligible.
- Ride sharing programs and transit improvements.
- Bicycle and pedestrian projects like sidewalks, bike paths and lanes as well as recreational trails.
- Intersection upgrades.
- Projects that improve air quality.
Wolanski said the state hasn’t opened the STIP up for new projects since 2017.
He also noted existing Middletown projects on the STIP remain in place, unless the council opted to remove some or all of them.
The council fully supported its four existing STIP projects. They were Purgatory Road sidewalk work; paving and new sidewalks on Aquidneck Avenue between Green End Avenue and Purgatory Road; paving and sidewalk work on Valley Road between Green End Avenue and East Main Road; and a multi-use path on East Main Road from Enterprise Center to Turnpike Avenue in Portsmouth.
The deadline for Middletown to submit new STIP projects to the state is March 14.
Wolanski said just because the project was on the STIP didn’t mean it was going to happen. That’s mainly due to the availability of federal funds to support the work.
To see Wolanski’s memo, go to https://mdl.town/STIP-Memo online.
No one from the audience or online spoke on the matter during Monday’s public hearing.
The state Department of Transportation has been good to the community over the past 20 years plus.
In that time, RIDOT has worked hard to upgrade and update essentially every major intersection across the community including installation of dedicated signalized pedestrian crosswalks.
Among the projects have been Two-Mile Corner where East Main and West Main roads meet, Coddington Highway and West Main, East Main and Valley Road and Green End Avenue and Valley Road, which was a nightmare with traffic backups and accidents before it was improved.
The state has installed sidewalks and bicycle lanes along many stretches, most recently on upper Aquidneck Avenue between East Main Road and Green End Avenue.
All this work has meshed with efforts by Middletown to make the community a better place to drive, bike and walk.
One major component was “traffic calming” measures on local streets. The most visible upgrade was putting in “speed tables” on Chase’s Lane, Forest Avenue and Turner Road.
Last year, the town put in temporary speed bumps, signs and other devices to impact traffic on Paradise Avenue on a trial basis.
Police Department leadership has also pledged to ramp up its enforcement of speeding and motor vehicle regulations throughout town.
“If we can get the state to pay for these projects, then the money that we’d have to spend here can go back into our neighborhoods, where it will have a bigger impact,” Town Administrator Shawn J. Brown said. “We’re trying to be strategic and smart with our requests.”
“I think we’ve been strategic with our approach as far as safety and sidewalks and accessibility all the way from West Main Road down to the beach,” Rodrigues said.
Document Link: https://mdl.town/NYCU-STIP
About Middletown
The Town of Middletown is a vibrant municipality located on Aquidneck Island, known for its scenic beauty, historic landmarks, diverse economy and strong sense of community. For more information about all we have to offer, visit MiddletownRI.gov online.
Media Contact
Matt Sheley
Public Affairs Officer
401-842-6543
msheley@middletownri.com