RIPTA to study Quonset service improvements

(Updated 8:32 a.m.)
NORTH KINGSTOWN – The R.I. Public Transit Authority has initiated a market study to consider options for expanding service to Quonset Business Park, one of the largest employment centers in the state without direct service.

The study and service analysis, to be executed by Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning Inc., of Rockland, Md., will identify travel patterns, examine ridership and scheduling for RIPTA Route 14, which serves the West Bay, and determine the geographic spread and demographic profile of current business park employees, according to RIPTA.

The study is expected to take six months and will try to determine how an efficient, alternative transportation system could be provided to Quonset. In an interview last fall, RIPTA officials said the business park is interested in transit options, but challenges include the multiple shifts of workers at the site, as well as a wide range of home communities.

A RIPTA spokeswoman said that the study will cost up to $59,000 and 80 percent is funded by a state pass through of federal funds. The 20 percent local match is being provided by the Quonset Development Corp., the quasi-state agency which manages the park.

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Quonset Business Park employs about 10,000 people and is the site of 200 companies, according to its website.

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