Providence will move the bike path along South Water Street as part of the city’s Washington Bridge mitigation plan, the mayor’s office announced on Wednesday.
“It is now our turn in the city of Providence to do whatever we can to make the burden less on those trying to either bypass the bridge and come through the city, or those who live and work here in the city,” Mayor Brett Smiley said.
According to Smiley’s office, the two-way protected bike path will be relocated to the raised sidewalk next to the existing bike bath. The space currently occupied by the bike lanes will then be open to traffic.
“The bike lane was ill conceived from the get-go,” Smiley said. “Those flaws have been highlighted and exacerbated because of the Washington Bridge and now at rush hour we see tremendous traffic impacts as people are trying to leave the city and to get on the 195.”
Smiley said design issues including an “unsafe merge” at the Crawford Street Bridge will be fixed with the bike path’s relocation.
The plan has been opposed by bicycle activists who protested the removal on Monday.
https://turnto10.com/news/local/mayor-brett-smiley-will-remove-bike-paths-as-part-of-washington-bridge-mitigation-plan-april-3-2024
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three and a half months into the commuter crisis with years to go traffic tie-ups aren’t going away anytime soon but a controversial bike path is as NBC 10’s Gabrielle kariola reports live for us tonight Gabrielle well as people are looking to avoid traffic on I 195 they’re adding some traffic to streets in Providence and that’s why mayor Brett Smiley says changes are needed it was now our turn in the city of Providence to do whatever we can to make the burden less um those trying to either bypass the bridge and come through the city or those who live and work here in the city changes are coming to Providence roads mayor Brett Smiley is looking to alleviate the years of traffic troubles ahead as The Condemned Washington Bridge is demolished and rebuilt people’s travel patterns have changed as a result of the Washington Bridge failure the city plans to add signs about not blocking intersections restripe roads along the bridge detour route and add pedestrian safety improvements they’ve already started changing the timing of traffic to allow for a better flow of traffic but the most controversial plan is the relocation of the southwater street bike lane opposed by Street safety Advocates even before today’s announcement and the bike linee was Ill conceived from the get-go um those flaws have been highlighted and exacerbated because of the Washington Bridge and now at rush hour we see tremendous traffic impacts as people are trying to leave the city and to get on to 195 he says the bike lane won’t be removed entirely but relocated from the street to the sidewalk allowing for an extra Lane of traffic Smiley says it will cost around $750,000 to remove the bike path and add a raised crosswalk near Plant City we’ll be using existing Capital funds uh it will not defund or knock out any other project when it comes to some of the other changes outside of the bike lane you mentioned working with ryot to come up with them who’s going to be funding that ryot will be paying for the uh changes for the other intersections now mayor Smiley also says that as the three narrower Lanes of traffic are opened in each Direction on I95 he anticipates a greater traffic backup in the city of Providence rot tells me they do expect to have those three lanes open in each Direction on or before April 22nd live in Providence Gabrielle KOLO NBC 10 news