VHB helped the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) secure an $81 million construction grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects (INFRA) program to increase connectivity for Rhode Island Route 4. The funding will be used to create a direct connection between I-95 and Route 4, a busy interchange that is in desperate need of congestion relief. In addition, RIDOT will use the funds to construct three ramps from Route 403 to locations in Quonset. The direct connections to Route 403 will divert freight traffic from local roads, reducing congestion, noise, and pollution in residential areas.
VHB provided grant support services, including quantifying project benefits through safety, traffic, and air quality modeling to inform the benefit-cost analysis and cost estimating for construction and life cycle asset maintenance. VHB worked closely with RIDOT to develop the grant application’s narrative, providing technical support to respond to required merit criteria, develop a project budget and schedule, and complete a project readiness assessment and narrative to maximize the project’s benefits to the client and the community.
