Cardi Finances Prompt Questions about Roundabout

By Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA
August 24th 2023

RICHMOND – Work on the roundabout at the junction of Routes 112 and 138 was halted last week, as promised, during the Washington County Fair. Construction was expected to resume this week, but it is unclear what, if any, work has resumed, and there are signs that the contractor, Cardi Corp., is in financial distress.

A visit to the site on Aug. 23 revealed no heavy construction work underway, and only two pickup trucks, both with Cardi Corp. logos, parked in the staging area across from the Town Hall. One of the trucks was empty, except for a section of pipe in the truck bed, possibly for the water line extension, which is also part of the project.

A worker was sitting in the second truck. There was no work taking place outside.

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation first proposed the project in 2019. The traffic-calming measure, which will slow vehicles to about 25 miles per hour, has been used successfully in many other cities and towns.

The roundabout will include sidewalks and cross walks for pedestrians. RIDOT also plans to modify Richmond Townhouse Road between Routes 138 and 112, changing the two-way road to a one-way, eastbound direction.

The roundabout will cost $6.5 million and is expected to be completed by April, 2025. A new water line, a town project funded by a $292,660 grant from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, is being built at the same time.

Which company is now doing the work? Cardi or Manafort?

It has been reported that Cardi has handed off the roundabout project to the Connecticut-based construction company, Manafort Brothers Inc.

Asked Wednesday whether work was continuing at the site, the single construction worker in the truck, who did not provide his name, said only,

“My paycheck last week was from Manafort,” an indication that it is likely that Manafort has indeed assumed responsibility for the project.

RIDOT spokesman Charles St. Martin said the state is aware that Cardi is handing over some projects to subcontractors, but he stressed that the timeline of the roundabout project would not be affected.

“The project is on time and on budget and will be built as designed,” he stated in an emailed response. “We are monitoring all RIDOT projects, including the Richmond Roundabout, to ensure they are completed on time, on budget, and to the scope outlined in the contract. We are aware that Cardi has been using subcontractors on some of its projects.”

Richmond Department of Public Works Director Scott Barber said he had been told that the work had not stopped.

“Workers say they are continuing to work, but Manafort has been named as one of several companies taking over the project,” he said.

Barber also noted that the project is bonded, which guarantees there will be sufficient funds to complete the work.

But whether that work has resumed remains unclear. The site was still idle on Thursday morning, and a call to Manafort was not returned.

The Cardi website states that the company, founded by Antonio Cardi in 1903, is the state’s “leading public works and site-work contractor.”

The company has not made any public announcements about its current financial position or possible closing.