R.I. Gen. Laws § 1-2-3

(a) The department of transportation may, with the approval of the governor, and subject to the provisions of chapter 6 of title 37, acquire, by purchase or condemnation, any land or any estate or interest in land, including airspace within this state that it may deem necessary for a suitable airport or landing field, or to preserve, maintain, or restore an approach, but in no event shall the department obligate the state in excess of the sums appropriated for that purpose. No land or estate in this state owned and used by any railroad company shall be taken by condemnation under this chapter until after a hearing before the public utilities administrator of this state and until the consent of the public utilities administrator to the taking is given.

(b) No airport, landing field, or any runway or approach zone shall be enlarged or extended in any city or town unless the president and CEO for airports, or his or her successor or other person or officer exercising his or her functions, filed in the office of the city or town clerk of the city or town in which the expansion is proposed a plan drawn to scale showing the existing airport and runways, which must have been included in the federal aviation administration approved master plan documents; the planned extensions or lengthening of the existing runways; any and all public highways crossed by the extensions; and lots and parcels of land within a one-mile distance of the proposed extensions; together with a delineation of any approach zone required by the extension and an identification of every parcel of land that requires a taking in order to accomplish the extension together with a brief statement describing the work to be undertaken in extending the runway. The plan and statement shall be filed at least twelve (12) months before any physical construction work begins on any extension of runway or airport expansion.

(c) The president and CEO for airports shall also, at the time plans are filed with the clerk, file a notice in a newspaper having general circulation in the city and town setting forth that the plan has been filed in the office of the city or town clerk and giving notice to the residents of the city or town of the proposed runway extension or airport expansion.

(d) The plan and statement shall be open to public inspection in the office of the city or town. A public hearing shall be held in the city or town at least six (6) months prior to any construction on the proposed runway or airport expansion by the president and CEO at the time and place in the city or town set forth in the notice referred to in subsection (c).

(e) The governor has the authority in any emergency declared by him or her to authorize the enlargement or extension of any runway notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter.