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Council presses for state help on failing DOT garage and salt shed; lawmakers say funding uncertainty tied to larger projects
Summary
Council members warned that a Rhode Island Department of Transportation garage on Block Island is deteriorating and poses safety concerns; state lawmakers said the project is stalled by overall DOT budget uncertainty and federal project prioritization but encouraged continued advocacy and a meeting with DOT leadership.
Lede: New Shoreham officials told state lawmakers on March 12, 2025, that a Department of Transportation garage used for island maintenance is in deteriorating condition and that replacement funding has been delayed repeatedly; council members characterized the structure as a safety concern.
Nut graf: Legislators said the garage and a separate salt‑shed project have been acknowledged by DOT but remain unfunded in the current cycle because larger, federally connected projects have absorbed prioritized funding. Town officials asked for help getting DOT and the congressional delegation to place the garage and salt shed back into funded status.
Body: Council members said the garage has been patched repeatedly and is now supported by temporary measures; one councillor told legislators that the building is “to the point it's not a want. It's a need... I think it's gonna collapse,” but that assertion was expressed in the meeting as a local judgment about safety and condition rather than as a formal engineering report.
Senators and representatives said DOT has acknowledged the need but that resource allocation was affected by the response to the 195 bridge collapse and federal funding timing. Senator DiMariu and Representative Spears said they would seek a direct meeting with DOT leadership and recommended the council assemble documentation of immediate safety risks and deferred maintenance to support a formal request. Several participants recommended involving the town solicitor and DEM where appropriate to highlight life‑and‑safety liability concerns if the structure fails.
Ending: Lawmakers agreed to help schedule a conversation with the DOT director and to raise the issue with the congressional delegation during a planned summer visit; the council vowed to prepare legal and technical documentation to support urgent funding requests.
