The City of Providence, Rhode Island, is set to embark on a sweeping $148.5 million capital improvement campaign over the next year, following unanimous approval from the City Council on July 28. The investment—one of the largest in the city’s recent history—will fund vital construction and renovation projects including a long-overdue new Department of Public Works (DPW) facility, repairs to the aging City Hall, and widespread upgrades to sidewalks, streets, and public parks.

The funding is part of the city’s new Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), a blueprint for enhancing public infrastructure and livability. Of the total allocation, around $31 million will be spent on building a new DPW garage, a project city leaders say is critical to ensure the safety and effectiveness of municipal operations.

Mayor Brett Smiley emphasized the urgency behind the DPW replacement. “Its employees have been in an antiquated facility that, at this point, is quite literally at risk of falling down,” he told WPRI-TV. “My predecessor started talking about it, and it had languished. We've finally gotten its [cost] to something that we can afford, and we're ready to start construction.”

Smiley also confirmed that the current DPW building is so structurally compromised that it requires emergency bracing. In preparation for the new facility, the department temporarily relocated in June to a site on Chapman Street, with some services now offered at 444 Westminster Street. The new permanent garage will be located off Allens Avenue.

“We collectively own tens of millions of dollars’ worth of equipment,” Smiley said. “[Including] big trucks, salt spreaders and street sweepers. The big equipment that you see throughout the city is currently in a facility that has water penetration, high heat and high humidity, [all of which is] bad for the equipment.”

In addition to the DPW facility, a portion of the funding will be used to carry out much-needed structural improvements at Providence City Hall. One of the first priorities is to replace the deteriorating roof to protect sensitive documents and office spaces.

“We’ve got water damage that’s potentially impacting our city archives, the Recorder of Deed’s office, and a couple other places,” Smiley explained. “Roof work is the first thing that we have to get right before we can move on to the rest. This is the people’s building … thousands of people come here to do business every year, so we want to make sure that they’re coming into an environment that’s safe and welcoming.”

Street and Sidewalk Repairs: A Citywide Focus

The city’s CIP also targets extensive improvements to neighborhood infrastructure. Roughly $3 million will go toward clearing the backlog of sidewalk repairs—a need that Mayor Smiley says has piled up over the years and may take considerable time to fully address.

Providence’s 311 system is proving useful in identifying the most urgent sidewalk issues. Smiley said priority is given to high-traffic pedestrian areas, but residential areas with significant tripping hazards are also scheduled for repairs.

When it comes to street repaving, the city is focusing on roadways with heavy usage and visible deterioration. “Less frequently used streets, although not suffering from terrible damage, do not get prioritized,” Smiley noted. “And I know sometimes that’s frustrating for people, because they want their street paved. But with only so many months in the season that we can work and with only so many dollars, we do have to prioritize [and] that’s how we go about it.”

Smiley also addressed questions about repaving temporary detour roads used during the ongoing Washington Bridge replacement project, slated for completion in 2028. He said the city is hesitant to invest in those routes, knowing that they could be torn up again during future construction phases.

“I’m hesitant to repave them, knowing that they’re going to continue to get torn up,” he said. “And I also am sensitive to the fact that if we repave them, that means taking those streets offline and doing detours, which is going to create another problem.”

Revitalizing Public Parks and Play Spaces

Part of the city's five-year infrastructure plan includes renovations at every public park across Providence. Mayor Smiley called these spaces essential to residents’ quality of life.

“For most people, their park is their backyard and it should be a joyous place,” he said.

One of the first new features to be added is a splash pad in the North End—an amenity meant to provide local families with relief from the rising summer heat.

Councilman Justin Roias praised the addition when the Council approved the measure’s first reading on July 24. “No longer will children in the North End have to travel to another neighborhood to cool down in these heat waves,” he said. “Moving forward in years to come, summers will be very different in my neighborhood.”

This large-scale investment not only marks a new chapter for Providence’s public services, but it also underscores a renewed emphasis on safety, sustainability, and livability. From long-neglected city buildings to neighborhood sidewalks and community parks, the $148.5 million in improvements aims to modernize infrastructure while restoring residents’ confidence in their public spaces.

Originally reported by Construction Equipment Guide.