Transportation Planning
Kennedy Plaza and Phase 3 of the Downtown Circulator
Click here for more info.
RIPTA Comprehensive Operational Analysis
The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) has initiated a statewide evaluation of services called a Comprehensive Operational Analysis (or COA). To learn more about the COA click here. The COA will help RIPTA identify the strengths and weaknesses of the bus system and determine where resources might be redirected to better serve customers and attract more riders.
Core Connector Study
Through the Core Connector Study, RIPTA and the City examined the feasibility of streetcar service between Downtown, College Hill, and Upper South Providence. In March 2012, RIPTA's Board of Directors adopted a specific Providence streetcar route as the preferred alternative. The proposed streetcar route would provide fixed-rail connectivity within the city, providing passengers with convenient and predictable service. RIPTA and the City are now evaluating opportunities to advance this effort. To view the Executive Summary of the Core Connector Study click here or visit the project website at www.ProvidenceCoreConnector.com.
Transportation Corridors to Livable Communities
In 2010, the City was awarded a Community Planning Challenge Grant through HUD's Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities to conduct the Transportation Corridors to Livable Communities study. The project focuses on the highest ridership bus routes in the city-- Broad Street, Chalkstone Avenue, Elmwood Avenue, Manton Avenue, and North Main Street. Through the study, the City and RIPTA will work together to improve bus service, bus stops and other pedestrian amenities and encourage the development of mixed-use development, mixed-income housing and opportunities for jobs and the arts near transit. An important part of the project involves the creation of the state's first Rapid Bus route along Broad and North Main streets. Once the specific corridor studies are complete, the City will update and revise the Providence Zoning Ordinance so that it will be an effective tool to implement the corridor plans and the City's overall livability and sustainability goals. For more information, click here.
As part of this effort, RIPTA will soon begin running the R-Line, the first Rapid Bus corridor in the state, along Broad and North Main streets connecting Providence to downtown Pawtucket.
In 2011, the City conducted a bike-share feasibility study with Alta Planning + Design. Click here to view the Providence Public Bike-Share Feasibility Study. The study includes an in-depth review of bike share systems and technologies in other cities throughout the U.S and the world, makes recommendations for a possible bike-share program in Providence, and details the capital funding requirements for a bike-share system.
In 2009, RIPTA completed the Metropolitan Providence Transit Enhancement Study, recommending ten strategies for improving transit within the metropolitan area. For more information on the study, visit www.transit2020.com.
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