The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will start work Tuesday on a project to upgrade bike and pedestrian facilities throughout downtown Newport. An outgrowth of the two-year Aquidneck Island Transportation Study, the project will bring needed enhancements to existing facilities along America's Cup Avenue and Memorial Boulevard, as well as introduce several new features.
The $2.8 million contract with D'Ambra Construction is part of the RI*STARS program, an initiative focused on delivering low-cost, high-benefit improvements throughout the state. Construction will take place throughout the fall and winter, and is scheduled for completion by late spring 2015.
Initial work will take place weekdays on America's Cup Avenue from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with crews cutting the existing curb along the roadway so it can be replaced. Shoulder closures are possible, but there are no expected impacts for pedestrians.
The improvements to America's Cup Avenue and Memorial Boulevard were designed in concert with the state's Complete Streets law, which requires that all federal- and state-funded road construction projects equally consider motor vehicles, bicyclists, public transportation, and pedestrians. Many of the improvements proposed integrate this approach, including the addition or alteration of seven pedestrian crosswalks, installation of accessible pedestrian signals, enhancement of crosswalk visibility through signing and striping, and installation of bump-outs and bike lanes.
The work will also narrow travel lanes, reconstruct wheelchair ramps for ADA compliance, increase pedestrian crossing times and replace curbs to remove tripping hazards.
For more information on projects taking place around the state, visit us online at www.dot.ri.gov or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RIDOTNews. For real-time traffic updates, subscribe to our Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/RIDOTNews.
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Contact: Rose Amoros 401-222-1362 x4450, 401-261-2159