2023 -- S 1004
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LC002923
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S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023
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S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N
CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY AND PROV IDE
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVING THE PAWTUC KET CORRIDOR
Introduced By: Senators Cano, Kallman, Britto, and Acosta
Date Introduced: May 15, 2023
Referred To: Senate Housing & Municipal Government
WHEREAS, The Mineral Spring Avenue (Route 15) corridor between Route 146 and the 1
new Pawtucket/Central Falls train station is an important transportation route that connects the 2
City of Pawtucket to neighboring communities and regional transportation networks; and 3
WHEREAS, The corridor contains a variety of land uses, including commercial, 4
residential, and industrial areas, as well as cultural and recreational destinations; and 5
WHEREAS, In recent years, there has been a growing interest in improving the 6
Pawtucket corridor to reduce congestion, make it safer, more efficient, and more accessible for all 7
users of all modalities, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, and motorists; and 8
WHEREAS, With the new investment in transit infrastructure coming to the area, 9
momentum has grown for creating safe and accessible connections to the station. Ongoing 10
projects in the immediate vicinity of the station -- such as on Exchange Street, Goff Avenue, and 11
Pine Street -- will expand transportation options for people traveling to, from, and through the 12
City of Pawtucket’s Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) District; and 13
WHEREAS, In addition, new residential, commercial, and office developments planned 14
in the TOD District will bring more people to the area at all hours of the day; now, therefore be it 15
RESOLVED, That a special legislative commission be and the same is hereby created 16
consisting of thirteen (13) members, all of whom shall be familiar with designing roads safely for 17
all modes of transportation including: three (3) of whom shall be members of the Senate, not 18
more than two (2) from the same political party, to be appointed by the President of the Senate; 19
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one of whom shall be the Mayor of the City of Pawtucket, or designee; one of whom shall be the 1
Mayor of the City of Central Falls, or designee; one of whom shall be the Mayor of the Town of 2
North Providence, or designee; one of whom shall be the President of the Blackstone Valley 3
Tourism Council, or designee; one of whom shall be a member of the RI Traffic Commission, to 4
be appointed by the President of the Senate; one of whom shall be the CEO of RIPTA, or 5
designee; one of whom shall be the Associate Director for Planning, Rhode Island Division of 6
Statewide Planning, or designee; one of whom shall be the Chair of the RI Transportation 7
Advisory Committee, or designee; one of whom shall be the Director of the Rhode Island 8
Department of Transportation, or designee; and one of whom shall be from the Office on 9
Highway Safety, to be appointed by the Director of the Rhode Island Department of 10
Transportation. 11
The commission shall appoint, by majority vote, an outside firm with familiarity on 12
traffic design as a non-voting consultant/member to assist in producing a plan consistent with the 13
goals of the committee. 14
The purpose of said commission shall be to submit recommendations to improve the 15
Pawtucket corridor in order to reduce congestion, make it safer, more efficient, and more 16
accessible for all users of all modalities, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, and 17
motorists by reviewing signal timing, performing a corridor analysis, implementing a Multimodal 18
Traffic and Safety Efficiency Assessment (MTSEA), and producing a plan consistent with the 19
goals as follows: 20
Upgrades to the Route 15 corridor from Route 146 to the train station project to 21
accommodate all users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists, by improving 22
pedestrian crossings, adding bike accommodations, and implementing traffic calming 23
measures; 24
Improve access to key destinations with the Pawtucket/Central Falls train station and 25
provide more efficient access for people to connect with important destinations such 26
as local schools, parks, and businesses; 27
Initiatives to promote active transportation by creating a safer and more inviting 28
environment for walking and biking in order to encourage people to use these modes 29
of transportation more often; 30
Sources for necessary funding to help meet the objectives of a corridor study which 31
are to identify the needs of all users, develop a vision and goals for the corridor, 32
evaluate design alternatives, analyze their impacts, and identify implementation 33
strategies to achieve the vision and goals; 34
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Improve the quality of life for Rhode Island residents by providing safe, accessible, 1
and well-designed public spaces, streets, and buildings, including incorporating green 2
spaces, installing green stormwater infrastructure where applicable, providing 3
pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and helping to create more vibrant mixed-use 4
developments; and 5
Recommendations to remedy the “Walk Bike PCF” study from January 2020, that 6
reviewed comfort level of streets and crossings in the cities that indicated the Mineral 7
Spring Avenue Corridor (Route 15) resulted in a “High Stress” LTS score. 8
Forthwith upon passage of this resolution, the members of the commission shall meet at 9
the call of the President of the Senate, who shall appoint a Chair of the commission. 10
Vacancies in the commission shall be filled in like manner as the original appointment. 11
A quorum of the commission shall consist of a majority of its membership, and the 12
membership of the commission shall receive no compensation for their services. 13
All departments and agencies of the state, shall furnish such advice and information, 14
documentary or otherwise, to the commission and its agents as is deemed necessary or desirable 15
by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this resolution. 16
The Joint Committee on Legislative Services is hereby authorized and directed to provide 17
suitable quarters for the commission; and be it further 18
RESOLVED, That the commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the 19
President of the Senate on or before May 7, 2024, and the commission shall expire on June 7, 20
2024. 21
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LC002923
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N
CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY AND PROVIDE
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVING THE PAWTUC KET CORRIDOR
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This resolution would create a thirteen (13) member commission to study and provide 1
recommendations for improving the Pawtucket Corridor, and would report back to the President 2
of the Senate on or before May 7, 2024, and would expire on June 7, 2024. 3
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LC002923
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