Gov. Gina Raimondo

Governor Gina Raimondo announced a proposal for a $70 million general obligation bond to modernize Quonset's Port of Davisville in her state budget address delivered to the General Assembly last night.   The initiative calls for the state to modernize and reconstruct Pier 2 at the Port, which is consistently one of the Top 10 auto ports in North America.

The investment would solidify Davisville's position as the premiere marine commercial gateway to New England and add an additional 50 years to the pier's useful life.  It would also preserve hundreds of jobs in the maritime sector and keep Rhode Island competitive with other ports in the region.  Constructed in 1956, the pier was built and designed to last 50 years.  

"Governor Raimondo's proposed investment of $70 million to modernize the Port will ensure Quonset's continued momentum," said Steven J. King, PE, Managing Director of the Quonset Development Corporation.   "It will secure the Port of Davisville as one of Rhode Island's premiere economic assets and position the State for more economic expansion and job growth in the future."

2015 was another record year at Davisville, which enjoyed its sixth consecutive record breaking year for auto imports by sea.  The Port now handles six times the volume of automobiles that were shipped there in 1996, with more than 547% growth since then.  The Port of Davisville also accounts for nearly half of the import vessel calls arriving in the Narragansett Bay in 2015.