A decade ago then-Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline held a competition to design a park for the land being freed up by the relocation of Interstate 195. The winning proposal included a pedestrian bridge linking the east and west sides of the Providence River.
After a number of fitful starts, in the fall of 2014, PBN wrote that it looked likely that "the first permanent structure to rise from Providence's Interstate 195 lands almost certainly [will be] the long-planned pedestrian bridge crossing the Providence River."
Today, there still is no bridge. OK, public projects do take a long time, especially if public input is a crucial part of the process. But really?
The I-195 Redevelopment District Commission expects construction on the bridge to begin in the fourth quarter of this year, although funding for the project is not set.
When people talk about Rhode Island's lack of economic momentum, one could use this project as Exhibit A. It's difficult to create momentum, much less sustain it, if you cannot make a simple project move forward. •