Our Focus: Transportation
Transportation Breakfast - October 26, 2009
Leaders put focus on transportation: Congressional Breakfast builds on public-private partnerships in Northern Rhode Island
Thomas Mann, Executive Director of The Pawtucket Foundation presented a video that outlined four major points:
- Demonstrate the regional significance of the Pawtucket/Central Falls Commuter Rail Stop project. Pawtucket has secured $360,000 and the State of RI has appropriated $40,000 as the local match to access a $1.96M earmark for preliminary engineering and NEPA permitting.
- Implement a more in-depth regional feasibility analysis for an intra-state commuter rail proposal to create service from Woonsocket, through the Blackstone Valley to Providence and T.F. Green Airport
- Consider economic development as a criterion for transportation infrastructure investments. Focus transit funding to coincide with transit oriented development.
- Connect the Blackstone Valley Bike Path to the East Bay Bike Path. Expedite design and funding to complete the Blackstone Valley Bike Path.
The expert panel included the following people:
- Scott Wolf, Executive Director, Grow Smart RI
- Steve Devine, Chief Inter-modal Planning, RIDOT
- Daniel Baudouin, Executive Director, Providence Foundation
- Mark Therrien, Assistance General Manager, RIPTA
- Michael Cassidy, Director, Planning and Redevelopment, Pawtucket
Among several key topics, panelists and participants honed in on the challenges of sharing Amtrak's rail right-of-way with the state of Rhode Island. Director Lewis spoke of indemnification and liability issues while others asked if a national policy or some type of legislation could require Amtrak to fully cooperate with economic initiatives for transportation centric developments.
Scott Wolf urged municipal and state leaders to examine local zoning ordinances. He stated the need to ensure zoning laws allow and encourage the density necessary to make mass transportation work.
Steve Devine spoke of the intermodal rail facility in progress at the airport and stated that he supports anything that gets cars off the highway. He said it was "huge" that the City of Pawtucket came up with the $360,000 necessary to access the $1.96M earmarked for preliminary engineering for the Pawtucket Commuter Stop.
Mark Therrien highlighted the South Attleboro bus turnaround proposal and articulated a need to reassess how the state funds transportation. He cited the gasoline tax as an inefficient way to fund mass transportation because as transit ridership increases, gas tax revenue declines.
Dan Baudouin talked about the intra-state commuter rail proposal. His discussion prompted several participants to question what the state could do to further this initiative. RIDOT officials responded that this project should be inserted in the state's Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP).
Michael Cassidy described the 4-year process The Pawtucket Foundation and City of Pawtucket had endured in pursuit of a commuter rail stop.
Prompted by a "motion" by Pawtucket Foundation Co-Chairman Jack Partridge, the meeting culminated with consensus from everyone in the room to advocate to the congressional delegation, state officers and state legislators to urge appropriate federal legislation and policy changes designed to promote collaboration between communities for transportation projects.