Johnston granted exception to construct temporary access road to flooded Belfield Drive

JOHNSTON, R.I. (WLNE) — The town of Johnston was granted a one-time exception to construct a temporary access road to flooded Belfield Drive.

The original plan was for a temporary road to be built on Monday for residents to return to their homes after they were evacuated due to severe flooding.

According to a release from the town Wednesday, Mayor Joseph Polisena Jr. spoke with federal officials at the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The town was informed over the weekend of a regulation implemented in 2017 which restricts the temporary construction of roadways connecting to interstate highways. The regulation prohibited construction of a temporary access road from Belfield Drive to Interstate 295 south, similar to one that was built in 2010.

The town was given the exception “to the regulation due to the substantial health, safety and welfare concerns for residents who did not adhere to the evacuation order.”

Flooding on Belfield Drive in Johnston, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (WLNE)

ABC 6 News spoke with Polisena on Wednesday and asked about the current state of the evacuated homes and the plan to help displaced residents.

“I can’t spend a half a million dollars on one neighborhood,” Polisena said. “We have other major flooding problems in the town that need to be addressed as well.”

“You can’t put a price on safety, but when the water subsides, they’re going to have to sell their houses,” he said.

Once signed off by the Department of Transportation, Polisena said the town would begin construction of the road on Wednesday morning.

Polisena was hopeful that the temporary access road would be operational within 24 hours.

“This one-time agreement ensures that while the main road remains impassible, those residents will regain access to essential food, medicine and home heating oil deliveries by our first responders, whose vehicles were incapacitated in the flood waters last week,” the mayor said in the release.

“While this is an essential first step to preserve the health, safety and welfare of the residents still there, the only permanent solution forward is home buyouts for all properties affected by persistent flooding. I look forward to working with the federal delegation to achieve that goal,” he said.

Residents aren’t the only ones who have been waiting on an access road.

ABC 6 News spoke with the owner of Anthony’s Oil, Anthony Amalfitano, who said he needed access to Belfield Drive as soon as possible, concerned that the pipes will freeze.