Meeting slated for $17M Downtown Transit Connector project

THE 1.4-mile route for the enhanced bus service in downtown Providence, connecting the Providence Amtrak/MBTA Station and the Hospital District in Upper South Providence, is shown.  / COURTESY MAYOR'S OFFICE
THE 1.4-mile route for the enhanced bus service in downtown Providence, connecting the Providence Amtrak/MBTA Station and the Hospital District in Upper South Providence, is shown. / COURTESY MAYOR'S OFFICE

PROVIDENCE – A community meeting will be held Dec. 6 to provide an initial overview of plans and seek public input for the $17 million Downtown Transit Connector project.
The meeting will be hosted by the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority and city of Providence at 5 p.m. on the first floor of the Joseph Doorley Municipal Building, 444 Westminster St.

The transit corridor will connect the Providence Amtrak/MBTA Station and the Hospital District in Upper South Providence with high-frequency bus service, creating six “station-like” stops that will include bus shelters, real-time information bus arrival signage, bike share stations and other passenger amenities along the 1.4-mile route.
The service is a substitute for the recently abandoned streetcar proposal.
The project is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery program with matching local funds. Part of the grant funding will be used by RIPTA to purchase vehicles to operate the service, the agency said in a news release.

Construction is expected to begin in 2018 and be completed in early 2019. Higher levels of RIPTA service may begin even before construction is complete, according to RIPTA.

Information about the project can be found at www.ripta-dtc.com.

- Advertisement -

No posts to display