The Middletown portion of the project will proceed first, and that will start this year. It’s anticipated the Portsmouth portion will follow the Middletown portion.”

Town Administrator Richard Rainer, Jr.

PORTSMOUTH — The R.I. Department of Transportation (RIDOT) says it’s still committed to major roadway improvements to East Main Road, but due to controversy over a proposed roundabout the work will be put off until sometime next year.

Over the past two weeks, however, it looked as if the project might be off the table entirely. 

In a Jan. 10 letter to Town Administrator Richard Rainer, Jr., Lori Lisette, RIDOT’s acting administrator of project management, stated the following regarding the East Main paving improvements, including the roundabout: “Please be advised that at this time the department has decided to not move forward with construction of the Portsmouth portion … and no determination has ben made on when it will be included agains in the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).”

Rainer said he immediately contacted RIDOT about the letter: What was the reasoning behind the decision, and does it impact other projects in the STIP?

“I was told they couldn’t speak to me because of the ongoing litigation between them and Clements’,” he said, referring to the grocery story which has sued the town and RIDOT over the planned roundabout, which would directly tie into the store’s entrance/exit. Tracy Anthony, owner of Clements’, said she’s concerned about the construction project’s impact on her business, as well as the possibility that RIDOT would need to “take” some of her property.

Rainer said he was flummoxed by RIDOT’s refusal to respond to his questions over the Jan. 10 letter, since both the Town of Portsmouth and RIDOT are named as defendants in the lawsuit. “That made no sense. My limited understanding is that co-defendants can certainly talk to each other,” the manager said.

So, he went over RIDOT’s head. In a Jan. 17 letter to Gov. Daniel McKee, he stated the town was concerned by RIDOT’s apparent decision to “not move forward” with the East Main Road project.

“I understand that RIDOT is facing challenges, and I respect the need to address legal matters appropriately. However, the abrupt decision to halt the project raises concerns about its impact on the safety and welfare of our community,” stated Rainer, who requested the governor’s intervention to review RIDOT’s decision.

‘Flip-flopped’ remark

On Jan. 18, RIDOT Director Peter Alviti told listeners of Gene Valicenti’s show on WPRO that the reason for pausing the project was the lack of consensus over the roundabout.

“During the last several years the town has kind of flip-flopped about three or four times,” Alviti stated on the show. “First they wanted the roundabout, then they didn’t, then they wanted it. When they finally voted to have it and we said we’re ready to go through with those projects, some of the people in the local community and some of the small businesses in the area said, ‘No, we’re going to be adversely impacted.’ They sued the state and the town, and brought us into court.”

Rainer said he took “great umbrage” to Alviti’s comment that Portsmouth was flip-flopping on the issue. Technically, he said, the Town Council supported the roundabout three separate times, including in January 2022 and in December 2023. (In late November 2023, the council also voted to request a meeting with RIDOT regarding the plans.)

“We’re not flip-flopping,” he said. “I was very taken aback by Director Alviti’s comments on the radio.”

Alviti called Rainer at the end of that day.

“He said the intent of the (Jan. 10) letter was not to inform us that it would be removed from the STIP,” Rainer said Alviti told him.

“The Middletown portion of the project will proceed first, and that will start this year. It’s anticipated the Portsmouth portion will follow the Middletown portion. Doing it that way will give us time for the court case to be resolved and have further engagement with stakeholders," Rainer said.

The East Main Road in Portsmouth will most likely start in the “latter portion” of construction season in 2025, Rainer said. “(Alviti’s) led me to believe there will be reengagement with stakeholders and parties that are concerned,” he added.

On Valicenti’s show, Alviti said it was important for the RIDOT, the town, local residents and small businesses to come to some sort of agreement on the project improvements before the department moves forward.

“We had to press pause on this project because we’d like very much for the outcome to be that the town and their residents, and their small businesses, get together and have a single consensus on what the project is going to be,” he said. “If they just want the roadway, that’s fine with us; we’ll advance the roadway project and eliminate the roundabout. To do that, we’re going to have to redesign the plans that we’ve drawn up. That will take some time. We were going to do Portsmouth this year and Middletown next year. We’ll reverse that.”