R.I. Infrastructure Bank announces $850K in financing for Pawtucket-Central Falls transit project

THE RHODE ISLAND Infrastructure Bank recently announced $850,000 in financing for water and stormwater improvements associated with the Pawtucket-Central Falls Commuter Rail and Bus Hub. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

PAWTUCKET – Plans to put Pawtucket and Central Falls on the public transportation map with a new commuter rail and bus hub got an $850,000 boost from the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank, officials announced in a press conference on May 11.

The Transit Oriented Development financing will help pay for water and stormwater improvements associated with the Pawtucket-Central Falls Commuter Rail and Bus Station Hub. The project, which broke ground in 2018, is scheduled to start offering bus and train transit through the R.I. Public Transit Authority and Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority commuter rail next year, according to the R.I. Department of Transportation.

Ridership studies suggest the train station, which aims to fill gaps between stations in Providence and Attleboro, will serve 500 riders a day once it opens. Originally pegged at $47 million, the price tag now may be closer to $58 million, per The Boston Globe, though federal grants plus state and local funds through RIDOT, RIPTA and the cities of Central Falls and Pawtucket are expected to cover about 20% of the costs.

The RIPTA bus hub replaces the existing stop on Roosevelt Avenue, and will also include dedicated bus and bike lines linking the new hub to downtown Pawtucket.

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The project is also tied to redevelopment of the neighborhood, dubbed the Conant Thread District, which has long suffered from high vacancy rates, PBN has reported. The two cities in 2018 formed a special commission charged with coming up with ways to incentivize redevelopment of the neighborhood.

Nancy Lavin is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Lavin@PBN.com.

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