2023 -- S 1004

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LC002923

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

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 PROVIDE

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVING THE PAWTUCKET 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

new Pawtucket/Central Falls train station is an important transportation route that connects the

City of Pawtucket to neighboring communities and regional transportation networks; and

     WHEREAS, The corridor contains a variety of land uses, including commercial,

residential, and industrial areas, as well as cultural and recreational destinations; and

     WHEREAS, In recent years, there has been a growing interest in improving the

Pawtucket corridor to reduce congestion, make it safer, more efficient, and more accessible for all

users of all modalities, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, and motorists; and

     WHEREAS, With the new investment in transit infrastructure coming to the area,

momentum has grown for creating safe and accessible connections to the station. Ongoing

projects in the immediate vicinity of the station -- such as on Exchange Street, Goff Avenue, and

Pine Street -- will expand transportation options for people traveling to, from, and through the

City of Pawtucket’s Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) District; and

     WHEREAS, In addition, new residential, commercial, and office developments planned

in the TOD District will bring more people to the area at all hours of the day; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That a special legislative commission be and the same is hereby created

consisting of thirteen (13) members, all of whom shall be familiar with designing roads safely for

all modes of transportation including: three (3) of whom shall be members of the Senate, not

more than two (2) from the same political party, to be appointed by the President of the Senate;

one of whom shall be the Mayor of the City of Pawtucket, or designee; one of whom shall be the

Mayor of the City of Central Falls, or designee; one of whom shall be the Mayor of the Town of

North Providence, or designee; one of whom shall be the President of the Blackstone Valley

Tourism Council, or designee; one of whom shall be a member of the RI Traffic Commission, to

be appointed by the President of the Senate; one of whom shall be the CEO of RIPTA, or

designee; one of whom shall be the Associate Director for Planning, Rhode Island Division of

Statewide Planning, or designee; one of whom shall be the Chair of the RI Transportation

Advisory Committee, or designee; one of whom shall be the Director of the Rhode Island

Department of Transportation, or designee; and one of whom shall be from the Office on

Highway Safety, to be appointed by the Director of the Rhode Island Department of

Transportation.

     The commission shall appoint, by majority vote, an outside firm with familiarity on

traffic design as a non-voting consultant/member to assist in producing a plan consistent with the

goals of the committee.

     The purpose of said commission shall be to submit recommendations to improve the

Pawtucket corridor in order to reduce congestion, make it safer, more efficient, and more

accessible for all users of all modalities, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, and

motorists by reviewing signal timing, performing a corridor analysis, implementing a Multimodal

Traffic and Safety Efficiency Assessment (MTSEA), and producing a plan consistent with the

goals as follows:

Upgrades to the Route 15 corridor from Route 146 to the train station project to

accommodate all users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists, by improving

pedestrian crossings, adding bike accommodations, and implementing traffic calming

measures;

Improve access to key destinations with the Pawtucket/Central Falls train station and

provide more efficient access for people to connect with important destinations such

as local schools, parks, and businesses;

Initiatives to promote active transportation by creating a safer and more inviting

environment for walking and biking in order to encourage people to use these modes

of transportation more often;

Sources for necessary funding to help meet the objectives of a corridor study which

are to identify the needs of all users, develop a vision and goals for the corridor,

evaluate design alternatives, analyze their impacts, and identify implementation

strategies to achieve the vision and goals;

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Improve the quality of life for Rhode Island residents by providing safe, accessible,

and well-designed public spaces, streets, and buildings, including incorporating green

spaces, installing green stormwater infrastructure where applicable, providing

pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and helping to create more vibrant mixed-use

developments; and

Recommendations to remedy the “Walk Bike PCF” study from January 2020, that

reviewed comfort level of streets and crossings in the cities that indicated the Mineral

Spring Avenue Corridor (Route 15) resulted in a “High Stress” LTS score.

     Forthwith upon passage of this resolution, the members of the commission shall meet at

the call of the President of the Senate, who shall appoint a Chair of the commission.

     Vacancies in the commission shall be filled in like manner as the original appointment.

     A quorum of the commission shall consist of a majority of its membership, and the

membership of the commission shall receive no compensation for their services.

     All departments and agencies of the state, shall furnish such advice and information,

documentary or otherwise, to the commission and its agents as is deemed necessary or desirable

by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this resolution.

     The Joint Committee on Legislative Services is hereby authorized and directed to provide

suitable quarters for the commission; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the

President of the Senate on or before May 7, 2024, and the commission shall expire on June 7,

2024.

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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 PAWTUCKET CORRIDOR

***

     This resolution would create a thirteen (13) member commission to study and provide

recommendations for improving the Pawtucket Corridor, and would report back to the President

of the Senate on or before May 7, 2024, and would expire on June 7, 2024.

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LC002923

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