Mayor Brett P. Smiley told Providence Business News construction on the city’s next phase of bike lane infrastructure is poised to begin.
The funding will come from a $27.2 million federal grant awarded in 2023 and includes 3 miles of urban trails. That will include the redesign of bike lanes on Broadway and South Water Street, where the installation of protected two-way bike lanes touched off a firestorm of opposition nearly five years ago.
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Sharon Steele, the Jewelry District Association president who led the vocal opposition to the South Water Street bike lanes, said businesses there are still waiting to see detailed plans.
Smiley says he is supportive of urban trails in Providence. “I have not removed 1 foot of bike lanes,” he told PBN. “In fact, my administration has added about a mile of them since I took office. We’ve just tried to make them more sensible.”
He said he wants a network that’s better connected and less disruptive to businesses.
“We’re not doing anything unilaterally,” said Smiley. “I’m trying to do this in conjunction with their feedback.”
