Underground RR stop on Roosevelt Ave?

Posted in: NAP- Neighborhood Alliance of Pawtucket
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  • ludlow1
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Saturday, October 17, 2009

 

Dear Arthur,

 

Thanks for your support.

 

Peace,

Jim

 

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  • bigallan
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RIDOT lends its support to Pawtucket's commuter rail station

By ETHAN SHOREY, Valley Breeze Staff Writer

PAWTUCKET - A commuter rail stop in Pawtucket is more of a reality today than ever before.

What was once just a pipedream could now come to fruition, according to representatives from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, who informed Mayor James Doyle that they now have the assurances they need from local and state officials to move forward with a commuter rail station here.

In a letter dated Nov. 11, DOT Director Michael Lewis assured Doyle that the DOT is "prepared to move" the Pawtucket/Central Commuter Rail Station project forward now that Pawtucket leaders have pledged the money needed to move on the venture, and state leaders have promised to back the project.

Local officials have also come up with a better location for the stop near the Providence and Worcester Rail yard, said Lewis, making this proposal a real possibility.

The local and regional support expressed at an Oct. 26 transportation breakfast "was overwhelming," wrote Lewis, who pledged to take the next steps needed with the various transportation authorities who hold interests in a commuter rail line.

The northern Rhode Island commuter rail proposal would utilize the existing rail spur already servicing the northeast corridor, but add stops in such municipalities as Pawtucket, Cumberland and Woonsocket. Commuters and pleasure seekers alike could have easy access either walking or driving to a train station near them.

A commuter rail would be one more mode of transportation across northern Rhode Island, joining the Blackstone River Bikeway as an alternate way to relieve the strain on the Blackstone Valley's roadways.

On Oct. 29 The Valley Breeze gave the exclusive details of a commuter rail discussion between more than 100 local and state officials at a "Congressional Breakfast" co-sponsored by the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce and the Pawtucket Foundation at the old Woonsocket Train Depot.

Pawtucket is a leading partner in a potential northern Rhode Island rail project, said representatives from the DOT at the time, having committed $360,000 from the sale of the Dennis M. Lynch Arena toward a 20 percent match needed to access $1.9 million in federal funds.

Said Lewis in his letter, "We are extremely pleased and appreciate the city's commitment" of the money, as it shows Pawtucket officials are serious about a commuter rail project that could one day serve patrons from Woonsocket to Pawtucket, and as far south as Wickford Junction in North Kingstown.

"For a city to step up and say, 'Here's our $300,000,' that says a lot to us at the state," said Steve Devine, chief of intermodal planning with the DOT, at the Oct. 26 breakfast, at which U.S. Sen. Jack Reed also pledged his support. "We're very supportive and will continue looking at anything that will help our highway system."

More than 6,000 users have been estimated for a northern Rhode Island commuter rail, one that would wind along an existing rail spur between Providence and the South Attleboro train station, connecting thousands of people in a more convenient way to metro Boston, Providence, T.F. Green Airport and South County.

Pawtucket leaders had formally requested that the DOT submit a funding request to the Federal Transit Administration for preliminary engineering for a Pawtucket/Central Falls commuter rail stop between the Conant Street and Dexter Street bridges next to the Providence and Worcester Rail Yard.

Many have predicted that a commuter rail stop near the Providence and Worcester Rail Yard would be a tremendous financial boon to the city of Pawtucket, providing the focal point for development growth in the Weeden Street area of town.

"The Pawtucket Commuter Rail Stop will not only generate over $100 million in further mill transformations into hundreds of mixed-use live work space, but it will attract residential and commercial investments in our neighboring communities," said Doyle in a recent letter published on the editorial pages of the The Breeze.

Thomas Mann, executive director of the Pawtucket Foundation, has called a commuter rail stop one of the single greatest components of future revitalization in a downtown area that is seeing a significant increase in a diverse population.

Thousands of commuters would be within easy walking distance to a Pawtucket train station and it could also provide an impetus for increased tourism to the city, according to Doyle.

The city's Planning and Redevelopment Director Michael Cassidy has been meeting with both the DOT, officials from the FTA, and property owners as he prepares to submit a funding application.

"The next phase will need to include a fresh look at the new site, specifically in terms of railroad operations considering what we know about Amtrak and MBTA requirements," said Lewis in his letter. "As such, I have directed my Intermodal Planning Office to begin preparing a project agreement with the city for project management oversight of this next phase, to include these railroad operational issues."

Additionally, said Lewis, his staff is working with the city's planning staff, the Statewide Planning Office, and the FTA to ensure all of the FTA's requirements, including a project finance plan, have been addressed.

Once all issues are addressed, DOT officials can then formally request approval to enter the preliminary engineering phase.

"We hope to have this project completed within the next few weeks," said Lewis. "Once FTA has approved our request we can initiate the grant application process for the funds.

"We look forward to working closely together on this project and future passenger rail projects in the Blackstone Valley region."

DOT officials emphasized at the Oct. 26 breakfast that other northern Rhode Island communities can follow Pawtucket's lead by showing the same kind of financial commitment city officials have.

To read Lewis' letter to Doyle, click here:

www.valleybreeze.com/www/Doyle_Rail_11-11-09.pdf

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  • maxmanso
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Wow- Nice to see they have money to help for that and yet the Pawtucket Bridge and Conannt St Bridge still being delayed ...

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  • nap
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How the Metro Study affects Pawtucket & the region

Pawtucket and Central Falls are included in the study boundary of the Providence Metropolitan region.  The study specifically includes Pawtucket and Central Falls in its core ridership area and seeks to dramatically improve service and ridership along its busiest corridor which terminates in Downtown Pawtucket.
 
INITIATE RAPID BUS SERVICE
Two routes in the RIPTA system collectively serve over 10,000 riders a day, far more than any other routes in the system.  Implementation of a $14.2M Rapid Bus service will greatly improve bus service on the 11 Broad Street and 99 North Main Street/Pawtucket lines.  According to officials, approximately 20% of the overall cost to implement the recommendations in the study has been acquired, and plans for Rapid Bus are already under way.
 
STRENGTHEN INTERMODAL CONNECTIONS
RIPTA can be the mobility manager that coordinates with other transit providers to create a seamless experience for riders.  In order to create a truly multimodal transportation system, RIPTA must implement a series of improvements to enhance existing and upcoming commuter rail services, as well as bicycle and pedestrian connections.
 
Pawtucket received a strong letter of commitment from RIDOT Director Michael Lewis to pursue the next steps in developing a commuter rail stop in Pawtucket.  RIPTA is already in the planning stages for developing a RIPTA bus turnaround on the Pawtucket side of the South Attleboro MBTA commuter rail stop.  These are two significant opportunities to connect Pawtucket with multomodal transportation choices that will link residents, workers, visitors and students to Boston, Providence and T.F. Green airport.
 
CAPITALIZE ON TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT (TOD)
Promotion of practices that lead to greater levels of development around new and future transit will improve transit, increase development and preserve land use, requiring cooperation between communities, state agencies and other partners working in coordination with RIPTA.
 
The Roosevelt Avenue Mixed Use Development Concept is a prime example of the type of regional impact, TOD that can catalyze reinvestment in Pawtucket's Downtown.  The Metro Study specifically outlines the steps necessary to implement TOD projects with close RIPTA coordination.  Within Pawtucket, there are four significant development projects that could be considered TOD projects:  The Thread Factory (redevelopment), The Roosevelt Ave Mixed Use Development (infill), Kellaway Center (redevelopment) and proposed commuter rail stop.  The total economic value of these projects is essential to Pawtucket and at full build-out could result in roughly more than $1M in new annual tax revenues to the City.
 
The work PCDC and KeepSpace is accomplishing in the Barton Street Neighborhood in Pawtucket and Central Falls area is a critical piece that aligns with other TOD opportunities.
How we can capitalize on the Metro Study

The Metro Study outlines a call to action and invites local partners to participate in shaping transportation service throughout Rhode Island.  RIPTA's first action step to strengthen intermodal connections calls for the construction of bus infrastructure at the South Attleboro commuter rail stop.  This will be a big win for Pawtucket and will enable local businesses to have better access to two metro areas:  Providence and Boston.
 
The City of Pawtucket, the business community, transit advocates and residents should thoughtfully study the opportunity this investment will create for Pawtucket.  We should carefully assess the land use policies surrounding this station and determine how we can maximize the benefit to the community. 
 
The Metro Study specificially outlines the following steps to encourage Transit Oriented Development:  1) public engagement 2) Commnity Vision Development 3) Creation of legal framework to encourage TOD 4) Public Private Finance Plan 5) Implementation.  These steps begin with a public participatory process and suggest that local zoning and development policies can make or break TOD projects.
 
Mayor Doyle's Roosevelt Avenue Task Force, chaired by Pawtucket Foundtion Co-chair Dan Sullivan, is already working on these very steps to achieve a significant TOD project in Pawtucket.  The City Administration, City Council and private sector must continue to work towards our goal to make this project a reality.  See how our efforts are aligned with RIPTA's Metro Study...click here.

TRANSPORTATION will be a central theme at our Ninth Annual Meeting on Janary 12, 2010.

The Pawtucket Foundation's Ninth Annual Meeting is scheduled on January 12, 2010 at 6:00 pm at the Blackstone Valley Visitor Center.  The meeting will focus heavily on the Foundation's current initiatives to secure an MBTA commuter rail stop in our Downtown, improve bus service to South Attleboro MBTA stop, encourage better transit and pedestrian infrastructure and designing transit oriented development projects as a regional economic development initiative to make Downtown a better place to live, work and visit.
 
If you are interested in attending the annual meeting, please contact Aaron Hertzberg at 401-725-4400 or ahertzberg@pawtucketfoundation.org .
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