RIDOT Advances $144M I-95 Interchange Project Serving Quonset Business Park

Highlights

• Rhode Island DOT is advancing a $144 million highway project connecting I-95 and Route 4.
• The project includes two previously unbuilt highway movements between the interstate and Route 4.
• New Route 403 ramps and a roundabout at Compass Circle are also part of the work.
• The improvements are intended to reduce local-road traffic and improve access to the Quonset Business Park and Port of Davisville.
• Construction is underway, with completion targeted for 2027.

I-95 and Route 4 Connections

Improving highway access to a major industrial and maritime center could reduce travel delays and move commercial traffic away from local streets in Rhode Island. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation is carrying out a $144 million project focused on completing missing connections between I-95 and Route 4.

The project adds direct movements between I-95 northbound and Route 4 southbound, as well as Route 4 northbound and I-95 southbound. The connections were originally planned when Route 4 was constructed in the 1960s but were never built.

The completed movements are expected to eliminate the need for drivers to leave the freeway network and use local roads to make the highway-to-highway connections.

Quonset Business Park Improvements

The construction program also includes improvements around the Quonset Business Park, including new ramps connecting Route 403, also known as the Quonset Freeway, and a roundabout at Compass Circle.

Quonset Business Park covers approximately 3,200 acres in North Kingstown along Narragansett Bay. More than 260 companies operate within the industrial and commercial center, supporting more than 15,000 jobs.

The project also improves transportation access to the Port of Davisville, a multimodal maritime facility within the business park. The port has five terminals, approximately 4,500 feet of berthing space and 235 acres of operating capacity.

Construction Timeline and Regional Access

Construction is currently underway, with completion scheduled for 2027. Once operational, the new highway connections are expected to reduce travel time for some motorists by an estimated 15 to 20 minutes per day.

The project is also intended to reduce the movement of industrial trucks through surrounding communities, including North Kingstown, Warwick and East Greenwich.

Why It Matters

For industrial owners, logistics operators and developers, direct freeway access can affect the movement of workers, freight and commercial vehicles. The RIDOT project addresses a long-standing gap in the regional highway network while improving connections to one of Rhode Island's major industrial and maritime employment centers.

Source: Manafort.