Replacing the Henderson Bridge Workshop 12/14

  The Cities of Providence and East Providence, the East Providence Waterfront Commission, and the Seekonk Riverbank Revitalization Alliance will host a workshop on:

Friday, December 14 at 3:30 PM Providence Department of Planning & Development 444 Westminster Street, first floor auditorium

The workshop will present designs for replacing the Henderson Bridge developed by Professor Will Green (URI) and his senior design studio for comment and input.

Rhode Island Transit Master Plan - Public Workshops 12/11-12/12

Public Open House Workshops - December 11-12, 2018
Providence, Woonsocket, Newport

The Transit Master Plan will envision how our passenger transportation network should look and operate in the future. In Rhode Island, our passenger transportation network currently includes bus, rail and water transportation services. The Transit Master Plan will envision how this network should be enhanced and further developed to best meet the travel needs of the state's residents, workers and visitors. To develop this plan, we will use data, public input, stakeholder feedback and more. Both short-term and long-term projects will be proposed, as well as an implementation strategy identifying potential partnerships, policies and needed investments.

Get Involved/FAQ

Next Stop: Making Transit-Oriented Development Work for RI

GrowSmartRI Forum

Cities and towns across our region and the nation are seizing on the public-private partnership opportunities to build stronger, more vibrant and sustainable communities through transit-oriented development.

With major transit projects currently in the works, increased demand for housing in walkable urban neighborhoods and job sites with convenient access to transit, Rhode Island is poised to take advantage of these trends to grow smart with transit.

For more information and reservations

Clean Transportation Listening Sessions

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Office of Energy Resources, and Department of Transportation – on behalf of the Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4) – will be hosting two public listening sessions to hear ideas on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, increase the resilience of transportation-related infrastructure, and design solutions with environmental justice communities in mind.

Tuesday, April 3, 2018
2:00 – 4:00 PM
Newport City Hall
43 Broadway, Newport RI

Wednesday, April 4, 2018
4:00 – 6:00 PM
Providence Career and Technical Academy
41 Fricker Street, Providence, RI

Advance registration is encouraged at: doa.climatechangeri@doa.ri.gov
Please provide your name, date of the session that you will attend, and any organizational affiliation.
Public comment may also be submitted to the email address above through April 13th.
For more information: http://climatechange.ri.gov/state-actions/listening-sessions.php

City of Providence Seeks Community Input Ahead of JUMP Bike Share Program Launch

Bike Share is coming to Providence! We’ll soon be rolling out 400 JUMP bikes for anyone to use, and we want to hear from you!

Attend an upcoming Open House event to learn more, see an e-bike, and share your ideas about where you would like to see bike share hubs in our community.

Four bike share outreach events are planned as follows in Providence:

• Monday, March 19, 12:00-2:00pm - Downtown Open House, 444 Westminster Street, First Floor
• Monday, March 19, 6:30-8:00pm - West Side Open House, West Broadway Neighborhood Association (WBNA), 1560 Westminster Street
• Tuesday March 20, 6:30-8:00pm - East Side Open House, Brown RISD Hillel, 80 Brown Street
• Wednesday, March 21, 6:30-8:00pm - South Side Open House, SWAP Community Room, 500 Broad Street

Residents will also have the opportunity to voice support for bike share hub locations during an online campaign in late March. The final station map will be announced in summer 2018.

For more information follow JUMP Bikes on Facebook and check out their website at jumpbikes.com/about.

Contact:
Victor Morente, Press Secretary
401-441-4995
vmorente@providenceri.gov

Providence Infrastructure Bond, State Budget Impasse, Bicycle lanes on Olney

From Coucilman Sam Zurie's July 23 Ward Letter

Passing An Infrastructure Bond
At its meeting this past Thursday, the City Council approved a $45 million infrastructure bond largely based on the  general framework of the Capital Improvement Plan  the administration submitted with its 2017-18 budget.

The State Budget Impasse
At a July 19 meeting of the Finance Committee, the Superintendent described the impact of the State budget impasse on the Providence Public Schools.  The July State aid payment was approximately $350,000 less than what the partially approved State budget, and if not addressed soon, the August payment (and all that follow) will be more than $1.3 million short each month.

Adding Bicycle Lanes To Olney Street
Last Wednesday, the Planning Department's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission reviewed a Staff Report that maps out a bicycle lane on either side of Olney Street between Hope and North Main.

A fast track to ruin? Amtrak opponents fear high-speed plans

by SUSAN HAIGH AND MATT O'BRIEN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Wednesday, October 26th 2016

OLD LYME, Conn. (AP) — This quaint shoreline community, proud of its role as a nursery of American Impressionist art, fears the destruction of its heritage if a federal proposal to someday run an East Coast high-speed rail line through its historic center becomes reality.

Full Story

New Stories on the Tiverton Casino Referendum

GoLocal Providence has posted 2 new stories on the Tiverton casino (see Question 1 blog entry)

Question 5. PORT INFRASTRUCTURE BONDS – $70,000,000

For port infrastructure projects, to be allocated as follows:
 (a) Port of Davisville Infrastructure at Quonset $50,000,000
 (b) Port of Providence Infrastructure $20,000,000

Articles concerning:
Providence Journal: 
Question 5: Should state borrow $70 million to expand Davisville, ProvPort?
By Patrick Anderson
Journal Staff Writer

Political Scene: Waves of contributions rolling in for R.I. ports expansion
Posted Sep 4, 2016 at 5:04 PM 
Updated Sep 4, 2016 at 5:04 PM

In support:
R.I. Ports Coalition

Vote yes on Question 5
EDITORIAL THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL EDITORIAL BOARD

Opposed:
RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity
REJECT QUESTIONS #4-7 over Debt Concerns

Vote NO on Rhode Island Ballot Question #5, MINDSETTER™ Ken Block
Friday, November 04, 2016
Ken Block, MINDSETTER™

EDITORIAL: Question #5, It Smells Like Low Tide
Sunday, November 06, 2016
EDITORIAL GoLocalProv

RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity: REJECT QUESTIONS #4-7 over Debt Concerns

RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity recommends that voters "reject" bond Questions #4-7.

The 2016 Ballot Question Voter Guide, released today by the Center, documents how the state's 'interest on debt' burden has already increased by 90% since 2005, almost four-times as much as the national average and double any other known state.

Q1 NO POSITION on the "Tiverton Casino"
Q2 APPROVE Ethics Commission "Constitutional Amendment"
Q3 NO POSITION on "Veterans Home" Bonds
Q4 REJECT Wasteful "Innovation Campus & Higher Ed" bonds
Q5 REJECT Corporate Cronyism "Infrastructure" bonds
Q6 REJECT RhodeMapRI & Property Takeover "Green Economy" bonds
Q7 REJECT RhodeMapRI "Affordable Housing" bonds

WPRI: Here are the lowest-scoring bridges in the state

By Tim White
Published: September 22, 2016, 9:55 pm  |  Updated: September 23, 2016, 4:59 pm

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — There are 18 bridges across Rhode Island that have a lower “sufficiency rating” than the Huntington Avenue Viaduct Bridge, which state officials have declared needs urgent and immediate repairs, a Target 12 review of state transportation data found...

Target 12 requested the sufficiency rating of all bridges statewide and found there were 19 spans – including the Huntington – that scored a 19 or below...

Full Story

GoLocalProvidence: Providence Schools’ Million Dollar Bus Battle

Monday, September 12, 2016
Kate Nagle, GoLocal News Editor

Providence schools currently spend over $1.5 million annually on RIPTA bus passes for students - now parents and officials are questioning recent route changes. 

The Providence Public School District (PPSD) pays more than $1.5 million a year for RIPTA passes for high school students living more than two miles from their school  -- and parents and officials are calling out RIPTA for cutting bus routes in the new school year with earlier start times.

Currently, PPSD has a memorandum-of-understanding (MOU) with RIPTA in which it purchases 2,500 monthly passes for students for a non-discounted rate of $70 a month. Now, following route reductions to Classical High School, Providence City Councilman Sam Zurier is submitting a resolution which alleges that RIPTA is in violation of its agreement with PPSD.
Full Story

WPRI: Study: Low infrastructure spending makes RI an ‘outlier state’

By Ted Nesi
 Published: July 18, 2016, 5:10 pm  |  Updated: July 19, 2016, 11:10 am

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – A new study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston says Rhode Island is an “outlier” among states because it has historically spent so little on capital projects such as road and bridge repairs.

The study by Ronald Fisher and Riley Sullivan of the Boston Fed’s New England Public Policy Center concludes: “Taking all of the evidence into account, the single outlier state is Rhode Island, which is shown to have had relatively low state and local government capital expenditure by every measure.” (Study: Why Is State and Local Government Capital Spending Lower in the New England States Than in Other U.S. States? p.19)

Related story: Study: RI infrastructure spending consistently among the lowest

RIPEC Reports

RIPEC is an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan public policy research and education organization dedicated to the advancement of effective, efficient and equitable government in Rhode Island.

Latest Publications
RIPEC Releases 2016 Education Results Report
RIPEC Analysis: Truck Tolling Proposal and the RhodeWorks Infrastructure Improvement Program
How Rhode Island Expenditures Compare - 2015 Edition
For more RIPEC reports

RINPR: Q&A: James Kennedy On Remaking The 6/10 Connector As A Boulevard

By IAN DONNIS • MAR 2, 2016

Transportation activist James Kennedy is one of the leaders of the movement calling for remaking the 6/10 Connector as a boulevard. He stopped by our studio to talk about the concept and why he considers it a smart idea.

To Listen

WPRI: Study: RI infrastructure spending consistently among the lowest

By Ted Nesi
Published: February 24, 2016, 12:49 pm  Updated: February 24, 2016, 1:03 pm

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Rhode Island consistently spends less on infrastructure than the vast majority of states, sometimes ranking dead last in recent years, according to a new study.

Full Story

Rhode Island Transit Future: Ideas

Greater City Providence - http://www.gcpvd.org/

 

Greater City Providence is doing a series of posts about transportation in Rhode Island.

The series so far:

Late Night Bus Routes – RIPTA-24

BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) – PRO-BUS

Commuter Rail – RI-TRAIN

WPRI: Here’s why RIDOT says a truck-toll bond would save RI $612M

Transportation agency explains rationale for borrowing $600M to repair bridges

By Ted Nesi
Published: November 2, 2015, 6:40 pm  Updated: November 9, 2015, 6:46 pm

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – The debate over Gov. Gina Raimondo’s toll proposal is actually multiple debates rolled into one.

Among the questions: Should the state spend more money on bridge repairs, and if so, how much should it spend? Should the state institute a toll on large trucks, and if so, how should it work? Should the state float a bond backed by the toll revenue and get the money up front, even though it will have to pay interest? Full Story

Federal Debt Financing Tools
GRANT ANTICIPATION REVENUE VEHICLES (GARVEES)

Economic Analysis of Truck Toll Plan

Governor Gina M. Raimondo and Director of the Office of Management and Budget Jonathan Womer announced the findings of the RhodeWorks economic impact study conducted by Regional Economic Models, Inc. (REMI).

Economic Impact Study

Road and Bridge Data by State

The Highway Trust Fund is set to expire on July 31. Without action from Congress, federal funding for transportation will come to a screeching halt -- and with it, so will traffic in many places. Over the last six years, Congress has passed 33 short-term measures rather than funding transportation for the long term. And our transportation system -- our roads and bridges, especially -- is in a dire state of disrepair because of it. The attached fact sheet shows us this. Experts agree:  The only way to prepare our transportation system for the next generation is to stop this cycle of short-term measures and pass a long-term transportation bill.

Road and Bridge Data by State