R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-48.1-9
The district may within and without the district, and within the limits of the town of West Greenwich, and without the consent of the town, drive, lay, make, construct, and maintain pipes, aqueducts, conduits, machinery, or other equipment or appliances, or authorize the construction and maintenance to be done, and regulate their use; and may carry any works to be constructed, or authorized to be constructed by it, over or under any highway, turnpike, railroad, or street, in any manner so as not to permanently obstruct or impede travel; and may enter upon and dig up any highway, turnpike, road or street for the purpose of laying down pipes or building aqueducts, upon or beneath the surface or for the purpose of repairing the pipes or aqueducts, and, if in the course of making, constructing, or repairing, any pipe, conduit, or other structure lawfully located in a highway, turnpike, road, or street is damaged, or if the location of the pipe, conduit, or other structure is changed, the district shall reimburse the owner of the pipe, conduit, or other structure for the damage, or for the expense of the change of location. The district shall restore the highway, turnpike, road, or street so dug up, to as good a condition as before the work was done.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-48.1-9