RI Delegation Announces $11.25M for Port Improvements at Quonset

WASHINGTON, DC – In a victory for Rhode Island that should enhance productivity at Quonset, Rhode Island’s Congressional delegation today announced that after years of uncertainty and needless delay by the Trump Administration, it has finally landed a major $11.25 million port infrastructure grant to help further modernize the Port of Davisville. The federal funds will be used to upgrade port facilities that support economic growth now and in the future. In an effort to strengthen and modernize America’s port infrastructure, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse helped make a total of $2.25 billion available for the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) over five years (2022-2026) through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021, with $450 million made available for fiscal year 2025. In 2024, with the backing of Senators Reed and Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo, the Biden Administration awarded the Port of Davisville an $11.25 million PIDP grant to improve port infrastructure, capacity, operations, and safety. But then, in 2025, the Trump Administration controversially withdrew a number of PIDP grants, especially those that were related to facilities that do work related to offshore wind projects. But now, the Rhode Island delegation says it is full speed ahead for the Quonset Development Corporation (QDC) to receive its $11.25 million Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) award, which is similar to the original award, and may be used to make improvements to the Port of Davisville at Quonset Business Park. The award is slated for several upgrades that would have been funded under the original award, while also addressing new priorities identified by the QDC. Located on Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay within the Quonset Business Park in North Kingstown, the 235-acre Port of Davisville is the state’s only public port. Overall, the business park at Quonset offers port, rail, air, and ground transportation services that support 260 businesses and hosts about 15,000 jobs. It is a major economic engine, not only for Rhode Island, but also the entire region. These new federal PIDP funds will enhance access to terminals, improve security measures, and support elements critical to finished automobile exports and the submarine shipbuilding supply chain. Specifically, the funds may be used for roadway and utility relocations; cargo laydown site improvements (clearing, grading, trimming, and new asphalt for 1 million square feet); relocation of the main port gate (constructing a new main entrance inclusive of guard house, entry gate, access roadway, signage, and underground infrastructure), and improvements to terminals 4 & 5. “Quonset is a critical economic engine for the state. After a lot of work, I am proud to have helped get this critical port funding flowing to Rhode Island so it can be utilized to generate operating efficiencies at the port and economic benefits for the entire state. These federal funds will help Quonset upgrade key infrastructure, enhance safety and efficiency, and promote long-term job growth and economic development,” said U.S. Senator Jack Reed. “Quonset is a jewel of Rhode Island’s economy, and this funding will continue to build up the business park’s maritime job-creating port infrastructure. It took time, but I am pleased that the funding has been released,” said Whitehouse, the Ranking Member on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Whitehouse advocated with the Trump administration to get the funding unfrozen. “The Port of Davisville employs thousands of Rhode Islanders and powers our state’s economy,” said Magaziner. “I will continue to fight for funding to ensure the port can continue to serve Rhode Islanders for years to come.” “Rhode Island’s Blue Economy is powering the jobs and energy future of our state,” said Congressman Gabe Amo (D-RI-01). “This federal investment will modernize Quonset’s port infrastructure to move goods more efficiently, strengthen supply chains, and support well-paying jobs. I'm proud to have fought alongside our federal delegation to secure these funds and will keep fighting to ensure nothing stands in the way of our state’s economic growth.” According to the QDC, a fifth of Rhode Island’s manufacturing jobs are concentrated at the Quonset Business Park, which generates $7 billion in annual economic output. PIDP funding, administered by the U.S Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD), targets projects nationwide that are aimed at modernizing port infrastructure and port-related activity. The program seeks to reduce transport costs and improve efficiency across the logistics chain at over 300 ports nationwide that are managed by public and private entities. PIDP is a discretionary grant program. Funds for the PIDP are awarded on a competitive basis to projects that improve the safety, efficiency, or reliability of the movement of goods into, out of, around, or within a port. In 2021, Senators Reed and Whitehouse worked to ensure the law included a provision ensuring that at least 25 percent of PIDP funding gets allocated to smaller projects at smaller ports and prioritizes projects in designated opportunity zones, those deploying innovative technologies, and those supporting multimodal freight integration.