2017 -- H 5757

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LC001501

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017

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J O I N T   R E S O L U T I O N

MAKING AN APPROPRIATION OF $1.9 MILLION TO THE RHODE ISLAND

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR COMPLETION OF THE GANO STREET

GATEWAY PROJECT AT INDIA POINT PARK

     Introduced By: Representative Christopher R. Blazejewski

     Date Introduced: March 01, 2017

     Referred To: House Finance

     WHEREAS, The Gano Street Gateway Project at India Point Park, or Gano Gateway,

was part of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation's 2011 plan for the I-195 bridge

realignment; and

     WHEREAS, The Gano Gateway, where Gano Street meets India Street in Providence, is

a lynchpin to secure the overall success of Providence's emerging waterfront, economic

development of the I-195 parcels, and access to its park and recreational activities; and

     WHEREAS, The Gano Gateway, through a public process during which taxpayer dollars

were expended and the community extensively weighed in, was agreed upon and promised by the

Department of Transportation as part of its 2011 bridge realignment plan in order to keep traffic

moving smoothly, create safe spaces for pedestrians and bicyclists, provide much-needed parking,

and promote economic development by offering a more attractive first impression of the state, the

city and its waterfront to the many people who enter Providence via I-195; and

     WHEREAS, The Gano Gateway is a critical thoroughfare for residents, commercial

traffic, and visitors traveling between Downtown, the Waterfront, and Fox Point and the East

Side of Providence and for out-of-state and in-state travelers coming to Providence; and

     WHEREAS, The Gano Gateway is an important access area for residents and visitors

seeking to enjoy India Point Park, the city's waterfront, the already-successful ferry operations at

India Point, and other city attractions, whether traveling by car, by bicycle, or by walking; and

     WHEREAS, The additional parking included in the plan would allow more visitors from

across the state to access the park and attend events such as the fireworks on the fourth of July,

the Cape Verdean Independence Festival, and the summer concert series, among others, each of

which draws thousands of visitors each year; and

     WHEREAS, The Gano Gateway is key to making the city look cleaner, greener and more

inviting; and

     WHEREAS, The Department of Transportation originally set aside $2.9 million for the

completion of the Gano Gateway; and

     WHEREAS, The Department of Transportation transferred $1.9 million of the $2.9

million set aside for completion of the Gano Gateway in order to complete the Providence

Pedestrian Bridge Project; and

     WHEREAS, The current status of the Gano Gateway, where travelers encounter bumper-

to-bumper traffic at a cramped four-way intersection with a 90-degree hairpin turn from India

Street onto Gano Street, undermines state and city efforts to promote economic development and

recreational activities along the waterfront and on the I-195 parcels; and

     WHEREAS, It is in the best interest of the State and City that the Gano Gateway project

be completed in conformity with the Department of Transportation's 2011 plan; and

     WHEREAS, Completion of the Gano Gateway in conformity with the Department of

Transportation's 2011 plan requires restoration of $1.9 million in funding in combination with the

$1 million remaining as set aside by the Department of Transportation; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That there is hereby appropriated, out of any money in the treasury not

otherwise appropriated for the fiscal year 2017-2018, the sum of one million nine hundred dollars

($1,900,000) to the Department of Transportation for the completion of the Gano Street Gateway

Project at India Point Park in conformity with the 2011 plan; and the state controller is hereby

authorized and directed to draw his orders upon the general treasurer for the payment of said sum,

or so much thereof as may be from time required, upon receipt of properly authenticated

vouchers.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

J O I N T   R E S O L U T I O N

MAKING AN APPROPRIATION OF $1.9 MILLION TO THE RHODE ISLAND

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR COMPLETION OF THE GANO STREET

GATEWAY PROJECT AT INDIA POINT PARK

***

     This resolution would authorize the appropriation of the sum of $1,900,000 to the

department of transportation for completion of the Gano Gateway Project at India Point Park.

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