Providence River pedestrian bridge seen as critical for I-195 land

Providence River Pedestrian Bridge rendering
A RENDERING of the proposed pedestrian bridge connecting the former Interstate 195 land on the east and west sides of the Providence River downtown. / COURTESY INFORM STUDIO

(Updated 1:53 p.m.)
PROVIDENCE — A pedestrian bridge crossing the Providence River is critically important for development of cleared land on either side of the river, according to Joseph F. Azrack, chairman of the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission, who said Monday he and commission staff have had continuing discussions with the state about its completion.

Under the land transfer agreements that created the I-195 district, the R.I. Department of Transportation is responsible for constructing the bridge, as well as developing the parks on either side of the crossing. The park proposed for the 4.8-acre parcel on the west side of the river — which had been the site previously sought by the Pawtucket Red Sox for a new ball park — would be connected via the new pedestrian bridge to a riverside park on the East Side.

The state DOT previously has stated it is re-evaluating the pedestrian bridge project, as part of a process being undertaken for all bridges in the state. The project had been scheduled to begin construction in the spring.

In the commission’s first meeting since the Paw Sox publicly announced they were abandoning the proposed park site location, Azrack provided an update on the status of the parks and pedestrian bridge. The Paw Sox announced their decision after Gov. Gina M. Raimondo informed the team owners it would not be an appropriate location for a ball park.

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The meeting was also the first for new commission executive director, Peter McNally. He was appointed in a public vote taken by commissioners Monday, which reaffirmed their decision to hire him in August. McNally previously was managing director for the BlackRock Real Estate’s Global Client Group in New York.

According to Azrack, the most recent plans he saw indicated plans for park construction were at 30 percent design, or in the preliminary stage. The bridge design, meanwhile, is at 90 percent completion, according to Bonnie Nickerson, director of planning for the city of Providence.

The state DOT has estimated the pedestrian bridge could cost $6.1 million.

“Obviously, it’s not inexpensive to build a park or a pedestrian bridge on the scale of what’s going to be involved there,” Azrack told commissioners.

“The conversations are ongoing,” he said.

The park system and bridge are “absolutely critical” for the development of remaining parcels, he said, including institutions that have an interest in having a connection to locations on either side of the river, he said. Those institutions could include tenants of proposed developments.

Although not an I-195 district project, the South Street Landing project nearby also wants the connectivity through the pedestrian bridge, he said. That project will include administrative space for Brown University, as well as a nursing education center shared by University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College, as well as graduate student housing.

“There are institutions who predominantly have their activities on the east side of the river, or the west side of the river, who may be tenants on the opposite side of the river,” Azrack said. “It could be employers coming from outside the area who want the amenities, so their employees don’t have to go all the way around. It’s also important to the South Street Landing project.”

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  1. It is disappointing that RIDOT’s new leadership apparently cancelled the pedestrian bridge without any public input, even though it was at 90% design, even though it was included in our Transportation Improvement Program having gone thru a public approval process, even though the bridge is needed for developing the I-195 parcels, even though it is needed for better connecting the two sides of the Providence River, and even though it is needed to help build a healthy, money saving, and environmentally sound biking/walking culture in Providence. Lets hope this PBN article helps get them to rethink their decision.