Nearly $150 million in capital improvements are planned in Providence, R.I., over the next year, including the construction of a new facility for the city's Department of Public Works (DPW), WPRI-TV reported Aug. 1, 2025.
Providence's Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), which was approved by the City Council on July 28, allocates approximately $31 million for the new DPW facility, a project which Mayor Brett Smiley said, "is long overdue."
"[Its employees] have been in an antiquated facility that, at this point, is quite literally at risk of falling down," Smiley told WPRI-TV in a recent interview. "My predecessor started talking about it, and it had languished. We've finally gotten its [cost] to something that we can afford, and we're ready to start construction."
He added that the current DPW building even has emergency bracing because it is "structurally unsound."
In June, the city's public works department moved into a temporary facility on Chapman Street and is offering other services at 444 Westminster St.
The new DPW garage will be built off Allens Avenue, WPRI-TV noted.
"We collectively own tens of millions of dollars' worth of equipment," Smiley said, "[including] big trucks, salt spreaders and street sweepers. The big equipment that you see throughout the city is currently in a facility that has water penetration, high heat and high humidity, [all of which is] bad for the equipment."
In addition to the new DPW building, the CIP will fund other much-needed repairs at Providence City Hall, starting with the building's aging roof, according to Smiley.
"We've got water damage that's potentially impacting our city archives, the Recorder of Deed's office, and a couple other places, [meaning] roof work is the first thing that we have to get right before we can move on to the rest," he said. "This is the people's building … thousands of people come here to do business every year, so we want to make sure that they're coming into an environment that's safe and welcoming."
Upgrades Happening On City's Streets, Parks
Providence also is making continued upgrades to its streets, sidewalks and parks.
Approximately $3 million is allocated in the CIP to address the city's backlog of sidewalk repairs that Smiley believes will take "years" to get through. He said Providence's updated 311 system has been helping to navigate those requests more efficiently.
While more heavily trafficked sidewalks receive priority, Providence's mayor said that homeowners and renters with sidewalks in poor condition also will see repairs in order to eliminate tripping hazards. In addition, the city also prioritizes which roads are tackled first based on frequency of use and condition.
Less frequently used streets, although not suffering from terrible damage, do not get prioritized, Smiley told the Providence TV station.
"And I know sometimes that's frustrating for people, because they want their street paved," he said. "But with only so many months in the season that we can work and with only so many dollars, we do have to prioritize [and] that's how we go about it."
Smiley also noted that the city is not currently planning to make upgrades to any detour roads related to the Washington Bridge construction project, which is slated to be completed by November 2028.
"I'm hesitant to repave them, knowing that they're going to continue to get torn up," he said. "And I also am sensitive to the fact that if we repave them, that means taking those streets offline and doing detours, which is going to create another problem."
In addition, Providence's plan includes maintenance at city parks, and Smiley said by the end of the five year plan, every park in Rhode Island's capital city will have been renovated.
"For most people, their park is their backyard and it should be a joyous place," he said.
As part of the city's plans to upgrade its parks, a splash pad will be installed in the North End.
Providence City Councilman Justin Roias applauded the move when the council gave first passage to the effort on July 24.
"No longer will children in the North End have to travel to another neighborhood to cool down in these heat waves," he said. "Moving forward in years to come, summers will be very different in my neighborhood."
