PROVIDENCE – Mayor Jorge O. Elorza took a R.I. Public Transit Authority bus from his Silver Lake neighborhood on Tuesday morning to Kennedy Plaza for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the newly renovated transit hub.
Elorza was joined by Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian, also chairman of RIPTA’s board of directors, and Ray Studley, CEO of RIPTA.
The officials boarded a regular-route bus at Pocasset Avenue near the Webster Avenue intersection just before 9 a.m. They arrived at Kennedy Plaza in time for the 9:30 a.m. ribbon cutting.
The Kennedy Plaza transit hub reopened to the public on Jan. 17 after it was closed since the summer for renovations.
Initial funding for the project came from approximately $1.7 million in bond money that the city had for its downtown circulator plan, plus an estimated $700,000 from a federal “Bus Livability” grant obtained by RIPTA.
Plaza improvements involved removing two narrow bus lanes and repaving the area as a contiguous pedestrian space, installing new lighting, signage and new bus shelters, and planting Honey Locust and Valley Forge American Elm trees.
Automated ticket vending machines also were installed, as well as technology to track buses in real time so passengers can see arrival and departure times posted on digital boards at the plaza.
According to a press release from RIPTA, authority officials appreciated Elorza’s ride on the bus, as “it underscores the importance of RIPTA service in the city and throughout the state.”
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