After insisting for months that the proposal to split up the Kennedy Plaza bus hub had already received adequate vetting and opportunity for public comment, the state has pushed back its construction timeline to give the public more time to share its concerns.
R.I. Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti said the decision to delay the next steps in the Providence Multi-Hub Bus System came from “an abundance of caution” over allegations that the process lacked transparency and did not take into account riders’ concerns. The relaxed timeline also gives consultant Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. more time to review the proposal, including its compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws.
“We’re giving ourselves a bit more time to do a deeper dive than we normally would get into in a preliminary design, and that’s because there is a heightened interest in this,” Alviti said. “I want to make sure we get this right the first time,” he said, noting there will be public hearings this spring.
RIDOT had planned to split up the main bus depot at Kennedy Plaza into three hubs, keeping some of the routes at the plaza and adding destinations at the Providence train station and a new hub on Dyer Street.
A price tag for the project hasn’t been determined. A $35 million bond approved by voters in 2014 for “mass transit improvements” will be a key funding piece.
Since RIDOT rolled out the proposal in July, it has drawn criticism from numerous riders and community and business organizations over lack of transparency and insufficient chances for public feedback.
Two organizations, Grow Smart Rhode Island and the South Providence Neighborhood Association, also filed a Civil Rights Act complaint with the department earlier this year, alleging the plan violates anti-discrimination laws by making it harder and more expensive for minority riders and those with low incomes to use public transit. Alviti insisted that the complaint, which RIDOT’s Office of Civil Rights dismissed on the grounds that the plan was too preliminary to be examined for violations, had nothing to do with the decision to push back construction.
But John Flaherty, Grow Smart RI’s deputy director, said the complaint likely contributed to RIDOT’s change of plans.
“We laid bare the fact that they have not engaged people,” Flaherty said.
Flaherty is pleased the construction start date was being pushed back but questioned whether it was an empty gesture. “If they wanted public feedback, why didn’t they get it when they started this?” he said.
While RIDOT never said its project was finalized, Alviti was adamant in an interview with PBN last year that it was time to “put the pencil down” after years of unrealized plans. But as of last week, he said adding a few months to “put these issues to bed” was fine.
The request for proposals the agency issued on the project in the fall also listed an August groundbreaking, though Alviti said that was intended as a placeholder date.
Gov. Daniel J. McKee also supports the plans, Alviti said. But whether McKee is open to amending it based on public concerns is unclear.
In an email, McKee spokeswoman Andrea Palagi said he was committed to “ensuring the process is transparent, addresses feedback from stakeholders and results in a plan that serves those who rely on public transportation most.”
Nancy Lavin is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Lavin@PBN.com.