State officials say the Trump administration is blocking billions of dollars in previously awarded federal transportation aid, including hundreds of millions planned for the Washington Bridge and other needs in Rhode Island.
“We don’t know the answer to the likelihood of getting it or not getting it,” House Speaker Joe Shekarchi said in an interview Monday, following an unrelated groundbreaking at Quonset Business Park during which he spoke with members of the state’s congressional delegation.
Over the weekend, Rhode Island’s two senators and two congressmen sent a joint letter objecting to how a recent directive by President Trump paused billions of dollars in previously awarded federal aid for transportation projects nationwide.
“In particular, we are alarmed that the Administration is blocking the release of over $600 million in competitive grant funding for more than ten Rhode Island transportation projects,” the delegation wrote in its letter to Matthew Vaeth, acting director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. “These grants include over $220 million for the Interstate-195 Washington Bridge, which has been partially closed since December 2023 due to a catastrophic failure, and more than $250 million to address 15 bridges along Rhode Island’s busy I-95 corridor, which span critical rail and roadway infrastructure.”
According to a statement by Sen. Jack Reed, legal experts believe the transportation money could be freed through legal challenges, although he said that would delay work and cost U.S. taxpayers “untold sums of wasted money.”
Shekarchi said the timeline for resolving the uncertainty is unclear.
“I would hope and based on what we know to date is that the hold was intended for, or primarily intended for, green projects,” he said. “It’s my understanding that these projects in Rhode Island are not considered green — the money that we’ve got for bridges in general and the money that we got for the Washington Bridge.”
The entire cost of replacing the westbound bridge will not be known until a finalist is picked for the job — a development expected in June.
