The long view is usually the best one. With that in mind, reports on three developments across the state provide a picture that is pleasing to anyone interested in progress.
The NBC tunnel
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The first project, in truth, cannot be viewed at all. The Narragansett Bay Commission’s $1 billion overflow tunnel sits 260 feet below the streets of Providence. The result of four years of digging (and still more than two years from completion), it will cut down dramatically on the amount of raw sewage that drains into the Bay when too much rain overtaxes the system.
The commission reports that the tunnel is on schedule and under budget. In light of Boston’s Big Dig, a public works project that is on time and under budget is near miraculous. That the project is designed to improve the health of one of our most precious resources – Narragansett Bay – is heartening and worth celebrating.
A new campus
Johnson & Wales University plans to open a $25 million residence hall complex on its Harborside Campus later this summer. Built on capped brownfields, it not only enhances the school’s unique, waterfront campus – it shows that blighted areas can be reclaimed.
As part of its master plan for the campus, Johnson & Wales expects to restore 1,500 feet of shoreline to its natural state. When finished, the development will include athletic fields as well as buildings, completely transforming the one-time dumping ground for construction debris.
Last week’s gasoline tanker fire up the road from the campus is a reminder of the extra precautions needed when industrial sites border residential areas, but it should not dampen the good feelings for the Harborside Campus achievement.
Trains, planes and cars
While last week’s groundbreaking for the Warwick Intermodal Station is only symbolic (actual work is not likely to begin until next year), it represents progress on a number of fronts.
The $222 million project will create about 2,000 jobs per year for the next three years.
By adding rental car facilities at the station, overcrowding at T.F. Green Airport will be reduced, making it more functional and pleasant.
The commuter rail station will further link Boston to Rhode Island, making it easier for Bostonians to use the airport and easier for Rhode Islanders to commute to Boston for work.
In addition, the project supports the statewide development plan’s vision for clustered, high-density growth rather than more suburban sprawl. A rail line from Warwick to Providence (and stops planned for East Greenwich, Wickford and Westerly), will make it easier for commuters to abandon their cars.
When the first MBTA trains start rolling into the station in 2009, they will represent an important step forward for the state.
