Bus service expanding to Wickford Junction, Route 102 park and ride lot closing

BUS SERVICE will be expanded to the Wickford Junction Transit Center starting Dec. 7, a move intended to provide one-stop consolidated transit services, according to the state Department of Transportation. / PBN FILE PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY
BUS SERVICE will be expanded to the Wickford Junction Transit Center starting Dec. 7, a move intended to provide one-stop consolidated transit services, according to the state Department of Transportation. / PBN FILE PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

NORTH KINGSTOWN – Bus service will be expanded to the Wickford Junction Transit Center starting Dec. 7, a move intended to provide one-stop consolidated transit services, according to the state Department of Transportation.
As a result of the change, the park and ride lot on Route 102, which is a half-mile away, will close, and RIDOT will sell it at auction this winter.
The sale is expected to generate nearly $2 million, which RIDOT said could be used for more transit improvements, according to a news release about the changes from RIDOT.
The release said that the consolidation of transit services will create a one-stop spot for rail, bus and carpooling.
“Improving service and reducing operating costs at Wickford Junction has been a major focus of attention at RIDOT, and we are pleased to provide these changes with the assistance of our partners at [the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority] to make the station a full-featured transit hub for South County,” RIDOT Director Peter Alviti Jr. said in a statement. “With trains and buses under one roof, commuters have more options for transit and can avoid the hassle of rush hour and costly parking in Providence and Boston.”

Said Raymond Studley, CEO at RIPTA, “We appreciate DOT’s efforts to ensure that our commuters will have improved parking conditions and that the parking will remain free. Also, they will have a direct connection to commuter rail. We are looking forward to continuing to work with the Department of Transportation on this and other intermodal projects.”
With the bus service expansion, the center’s operating hours will increase to seven days a week, 24 hours a day, with bus service on weekdays and weekends complementing 20 MBTA commuter rail trips each weekday.

The existing facility provides free covered parking, electric charging stations, restrooms, vending machines and a heated indoor waiting area. Access to restrooms and the indoor waiting area will be available weekdays only until additional building improvements are completed by late January, the release said.

RIDOT and RIPTA also will debut a cross-fare feature, allowing riders who use MBTA monthly passes to also ride buses to and from Wickford Junction at no cost. This allows riders the option of taking the bus to work or the train coming home, depending on the most convenient schedule option for the traveler, the release said.

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In August, RIDOT assumed operation and maintenance of Wickford Junction; it chose not to renew a private contract.

RIDOT Director Peter Alviti Jr. released a statement at the time saying the change will result in a savings of $376,784 annually.

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Good thinking all around on this.
    Going forward, I hope we can unify MBTA and RIPTA fare cards so that either system can br used as needed on one card. Also, some kind of Wickfod to Wickford Jct shuttle that meet the trains might be a goal too, as well as a safe bike connection between those points. To really make this work, we also need a more level playing field between transit and the “free” (that is, subsidized) parking provided in Providence by major employers who offer no transit incentive as an alternative – this includes the State of RI and URI-Providence which are by this policy undermining the investment in Wickford Jct.

  2. I agree well done RIPTA and DOT. But still RIPTA service from Wickford and Boston Neck Road doesn’t exist. Can’t the 14 be diverted on some runs to make this possible? Or attempt a shuttle from Wickford Station via Boston Neck Road to Newport.