Mayor Taveras 'Flips the Switch' to Celebrate New Decorative Lights on Westminster Street

Mayor Angel Taveras joined this evening with the West Broadway Neighborhood Association, Olneyville Housing Corporation, and residents of the West End and Olneyville to 'flip the switch' on new decorative lights on Westminster Street.

"This is a great day for the West End, Olneyville and all of Providence. This investment in new decorative lighting along Westminster Street makes our community more inviting and welcoming for both local residents and visitors to our city, and helps grow our economy," said Mayor Taveras.

WBNA Executive Director Kari Lang and Olneyville Housing Corporation Executive Director Frank Shea joined with Mayor Taveras at Citizens Bank Plaza in Olneyville Square for the first lighting of new decorative lights installed as part of a Westminster Street revitalization project that dates back 13 years.

"This project shows what great results come from a group of neighbors working together as a neighborhood association with our City of Providence Planning and Public Works departments, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, our elected officials and our neighborhood partners," said WBNA Executive Director Kari Lang. "Slow and steady wins the race!"

"Flipping the switch on these lights is symbolic of a great deal of continued investment by the Taveras administration in making Olneyville a healthy place for the people who live and work here," said Olneyville Housing Executive Director Frank Shea. "During these challenging fiscal times for our city and our families, this investment is vitally important in creating a neighborhood that works."

The installation of new decorative lights began last summer with the laying of electrical conduit along both sides of Westminster Street for new ornamental streetlights. The new ornamental light poles were installed throughout the winter and spring along Westminster Street from Olneyville Square to West Franklin Street; the project also includes a redesign of Canonicus Square, a new traffic signal at Barton and Westminster Streets and fencing improvements at the underpass of Rt. 6 on Westminster Street.

The WBNA secured the first funding for the project from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation and the City of Providence in 1999. Additional funding was later secured by the late Senator John Chafee from the FHWA Transportation and Community and System Preservation Pilot Program (TCSP).

In 2001, the City signed a design contract with Gates Leighton Landscape Architecture for the design of the streetscape enhancements. Through an extensive public process including both the West Broadway Neighborhood Association (WBNA) and the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (WRWC) a design was finalized in 2004. In 2008, RIDOT allocated $3.3 million in Federal ARRA funding to the project. These funds, combined with the TCSP money from Federal Highway, allowed for completion of the project.