PROVIDENCE, RI -- Today, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman David Cicilline announced that Rhode Island has been allocated another $55.9 million from the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58) to enhance public transit across the state.

The $55,901,972 in federal transit funding for Fiscal Year 2023 is being released to the state this month by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA), following passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328).

“This federal funding will bolster Rhode Island’s public transit system and pave the way for stronger economic growth, less congestion and pollution, and enhanced mobility.  Public transit connects people and communities.  This latest round of federal funding will help RIPTA improve service and invest in new technologies and clean energy upgrades.  I will continue partnering with state and local leaders to put these game-changing investments to work,” said Senator Reed, a senior member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD).

“This federal investment will improve public transit services and accessibility for Rhode Islanders,” said Senator Whitehouse. “Thanks to our bipartisan infrastructure law and the work of the Senate EPW committee forging its measures, there will be more opportunities for RIPTA to make upgrades and invest in clean energy, and I am committed to continuing to partner with state leaders to maximize those.”

“For too long, we failed to make the big investments our nation’s infrastructure so desperately needed. Now, instead of piecemeal funding, the historic infrastructure law is providing sustained and robust federal dollars, giving Rhode Island the resources to meet public transit needs across our state. This funding allows us to not only expand but also improve service for every rider. I look forward to continuing to work with RIPTA and leaders across the state as we make the most of these investments,” said Congressman Cicilline.

“We are grateful for the continued support from our Congressional delegation, who never stop championing for investments in public transit,” said RIPTA CEO Scott Avedisian. “These funds will be used to modernize and upgrade our vehicles and facilities, making transit more resilient and sustainable. This funding will also be used for a long-overdue and much-needed renovation to Rhode Island’s only transit tunnel. Built in 1914, this historic transit infrastructure has made it easier for trolleys, and then buses, to travel from North Main Street to Thayer Street on the East Side of Providence for decades.”

The new federal funding for Rhode Island is part of an estimated $292 million in transit formula funding that the Ocean State is slated to receive over the next five years. This federal funding for Rhode Island infrastructure will help public transit agencies invest in expanding service, job training, and new low- and no- emission buses.

Rhode Island’s allocation is part of a $21 billion tranche from the U.S. Department of Transportation to support critical public transit infrastructure in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.  Under the law, each state has flexibility to determine how these funds can best address longstanding needs.