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The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) recently purchased property for the Wickford Junction commuter-rail station and parking garage for $3.2 million, Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri announced on Dec. 31.

The Wickford project, along with a Warwick, R.I., intermodal facility that’s under construction, will support the initial start up of the South County commuter-rail service, which would extend a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority line through Providence an additional 20 miles. Rail service to Warwick is expected to begin by year’s end and service to Wickford Junction is slated to start in 2011.

The new service would provide an alternative to congested Interstate 95 and the Route 4 corridor — the state’s fastest-growing region — as well as provide access to major employment, retail and recreational centers in Providence and Boston, said Carcieri in a prepared statement.

The $30 million Wickford Junction Station will feature a platform and 1,100-space parking garage. RIDOT expects the project — which is partially funded by the Federal Transit Administration — to take 16 months to complete.