R.I. Gen. Laws § 24-6-3: Damages payable to abutting landowners.

The owners of land abutting upon a highway or driftway in any town shall be entitled, upon the abandonment of the highway or driftway, either wholly or in part, to receive compensation from the town for the damages, if any, sustained by them by reason of the abandonment; and the town council, whenever it abandons the whole or any part of a public highway or driftway, shall at the same time appraise and award the damages.