RIPTA remains undecided on new bus hub location a decade after funding was approved
by GABRIELLE CARACCIOLO, NBC 10 NEWS
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — Since 2014, the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority has been planning to build a new bus hub, but 10 years later a location has still not been determined.
“It is frustrating that it’s taken this long,” John Flaherty with Grow Smart RI said. “It would have been certainly less expensive to have built it if we were able to get these plans in place and done five, six, eight years ago. But we are where we are.”
RIPTA announced this week that a piece of land in the 195 District was no longer being considered after negative feedback from riders.
When $35 million was approved by voters in 2014, the idea was to put the hub near the train station.
Now RIPTA’s interim CEO said those spots are being given top priority.
“It has taken a long time, and the irony is that putting a hub at the train station was actually the original vision 10 years ago when this bond was being promoted and some people say you always end up where you start. And so, in that sense, we’re back at where we started,” Flaherty said.
“Definitely mixed emotions. I was happy that they decided parcel 35 was not the place that they wanted to build, but at the same time, they still are discussing whether or not to move Kennedy Plaza, which I think is a heartbreaking wrench to the city,” RIPTA rider Dorothy Hetheringon said.
Hetherington relies on RIPTA to get around, and like many riders and transit advocates she wants the buses to stay in Kennedy Plaza.
“I have everything I possibly need in Kennedy Plaza,” she said.
“It’s really a waste of taxpayer money,” Randall Rose from the Kennedy Plaza Resilience Coalition said. “This is the place where the biggest concentration of bus rider destinations is in the whole state, and that’s why the hub is here.”
As crime has become a problem in Kennedy Plaza, RIPTA hasn’t included it on the shortlist of options for a new bus hub.
“The crime will move with the bus stop, the bus hub, but it’s not going to go away,” Hetherington argues.
Both Rose and Hetherington said while they ride RIPTA regularly, they rarely take a train.
“I know less than 1% of riders who would actually use the train and the bus on a regular basis,” she said.
Grow Smart RI isn’t against moving the bus hub.
“We do think that more folks would be interested in using the train, and likewise, that more folks who are currently using the train and not using the transit service would be more inclined to do that if it was really together, if it was convenient,” Flaherty said.
However, he said the new hub needs to come with improved service.
“We can’t get behind the development of a new hub absent a commitment by state leaders to sustainably fund the service itself. Because for transit riders, a hub is of little consequence if the service itself is declining or deteriorating. So first and foremost, we’ve got to invest in the service,” he said. “I hope that over the next the next several months, that that there can be a conclusion to the site that works best for riders and for transit operations.”
A spokesperson for Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said in a statement, “Mayor Smiley remains committed to ensuring that any relocation plan fully meets the modern transportation needs of the many residents, workers, students and visitors that utilize this bus hub. We look forward to seeing the final location considered for a state-of-the-art facility to serve even more people in better ways. Regardless of the location of a future bus hub, Kennedy Plaza will remain a vibrant public space to ensure its continued role in serving our community.”
RIPTA declined an interview, saying it could potentially impact the negotiation process.
In a statement CEO Chirs Durant said, “We are exploring sites closer to the train station, which would enhance the project’s multimodal connectivity and create opportunities for funding through the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) and Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing (RRIF) programs. In addition to the funding opportunities that a bus hub would have in close proximity to a train station, the recent investments in infrastructure improvements on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC) will further improve travel efficiency, increase ridership potential, and support seamless connections between regional and local transit systems. We’re grateful to the Congressional Delegation who have been very supportive of multimodal projects and who continue to make investments in these types of initiatives. Once Next Wave completes its thorough analysis, we look forward to sharing their informed formal recommendation for a potential site later this fall. I want to thank our Board of Directors their continued guidance during this process and look forward to presenting them with a final recommendation in the near future.”
NBC 10 News asked for an updated estimate on how much it will cost to build a new hub and how much money has already been spent as the debate over where to put it stretches on. We have not yet received a response.