Hundreds Weigh In on Potential RIPTA Providence Transit Center Sites
at First Public Engagement Session
Next in-person public session to be held at CCRI (Knight Campus) on Thursday, May 30; Statewide survey now open
Providence, RI – The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) and Next Wave Rhode Island Partners (Next Wave Partners) collected public input and announced a list of potential sites being explored for a new Providence transit center at a public engagement session held on Monday, May 13, 2024 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.
The public meeting, the first in a series of in-person and virtual engagement sessions planned throughout the spring and summer, RIPTA riders and community members had the opportunity to share their feedback and opinions as to what a new, modern, state-of-the-art, transit center should offer.
“The new Providence Transit Center will be a world-class asset for our state, and we are committed to ensuring it is designed with public input at every stage,” said Christopher Durand, RIPTA Interim Chief Executive Officer. “Today we heard feedback from a diverse group of Rhode Islanders on eight potential locations for this facility. We look forward to incorporating their opinions and suggestions as we move forward with this public process over the coming months.”
Attendees were asked to weigh in on several sites that are currently being explored: (1) Clifford Street; (2) Dorrance Street; (3) Eddy Street; (4) Exchange Street; (5) Friendship Street; (6) Gaspee Street; and (7) Park Row West. Each of the sites being explored were chosen based on their potential availability, proximity to key activity centers, and accessibility to local and regional transit networks.
Site maps and additional information will be available at www.RIPTA.com/TransitCenter.
“We are grateful to all the RIPTA riders and community stakeholders who joined us to share their perspectives on the location of the new Providence Transit Center,” said Christopher Marsella, President, Marsella Corporation, on behalf of Next Wave Partners. “The State has an opportunity to build a modern, state-of-the-art transit facility with high-quality amenities, and we look forward to bringing it to life. Today was just the start of a thorough public process over the coming weeks and months to ensure Rhode Islanders have ample opportunity to add their voice to this critical project.”
The next in-person public engagement session will be held on Thursday, May 30, 2024, from 4pm to 7 pm at the CCRI Knight Campus in Warwick. In addition to in-person and virtual public meetings, RIPTA and Next Wave Partners launched a statewide survey to solicit opinions from Rhode Islanders in every community about their priorities for the new Providence Transit Center. The online survey is available in English and Spanish at www.transitcentersurvey.com.
The new transit center will serve as RIPTA’s central bus depot, providing millions of trips annually. The transit center will feature a temperature-controlled passenger arrival and seating area, staff break areas, and amenities including multi-modal accommodations for bicyclists.
Using a progressive public-private partnership (P3) model, RIPTA and Next Wave Partners will work together in two phases to complete the new transit center, a common model for larger infrastructure projects. This approach will ensure RIPTA has input at all stages of the development and can access the private-sector funding and expertise needed to successfully deliver a project of this scale.
Additional information about the planning process, including details of upcoming public engagement sessions, is available at www.RIPTA.com/TransitCenter.
