Official angry over Broad Street plan amendments

CUMBERLAND – The Rhode Island Department of Transportation’s decision to amend the current Broad Street Regeneration Project, a two-year initiative to improve a 3.2-mile stretch of Broad Street through Pawtucket, Central Falls and Cumberland, has drawn the ire of At Large Cumberland Councilman Michael L. Kinch.

Kinch says the DOT amended the current project by eliminating the complete reconstruction of that portion of the project that includes roadways from Church Street north to Mendon Road in Cumberland.

At a council meeting Wednesday, Kinch and District 1 Councilwoman Stephanie M. Gemski introduced a resolution that requests the DOT restore $2 million in funding to include the complete reconstruction of the roadway from Church Street north to Mendon Road rather than a cursory repaving of the area.

“I was angry when I found out the DOT amended the project,” said Kinch, adding the Broad Street Regeneration Initiative has a long history, with organized efforts to improve the area actively in the works from 2007 to 2012, but

hitting a wall and stalling for a while from 2013 to 2016.

A renewed energy around the BSRI came in 2017 with an $11.5 million commitment in funding from the State Transportation Improvement Program. But Kinch says a change to the plan shortchanges Cumberland.

Kinch and Gemski’s resolution was unanimously approved by the council and will be on record when Cumberland’s legislative delegation, including state Rep. James N.

McLaughlin (Dist. 57 Cumberland, Central Falls), meet with DOT officials on Jan. 24 to discuss the project and the town’s concerns.

While it has not been announced officially, McLaughlin indicated at the meeting that the DOT will including funding for the complete reconstruction, rather than minimal repaving.

“What we’re hearing now is that the $2 million will be restored and that Cumberland will get complete restoration,” McLaughlin told the council.

The Broad Street Regeneration Initiative began in 2007

when the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council (BVTC) received a Preserve America grant from the National Park Service to undertake a regional planning project along the roadway. An action plan was produced that identified several priorities including historic preservation, façade improvements, pedestrian and streetscape improvements, traffic and parking management, community safety, and business growth.

Since then, the Initiative and its partners have supported efforts to promote local small businesses and public events, develop bicycle infrastructure, encourage sidewalk dining, connect merchants with available public and private resources, and nurture community identity for those that “live, work, play, and pray” on Broad Street. Due to a lack of funding, the project paused in 2012.

With the announcement of $11.5 million in State Transportation Improvement Program funds dedicated to Broad Street starting in 2018, the cities of Pawtucket and Central Falls, the Town of Cumberland, and the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council relaunched the Broad Street Regeneration Initiative in 2016. A grant from the Rhode Island Foundation allowed for the hiring of a part-time coordinator in March 2017.

The project highlights includes resurfacing the entire length of road through Central Falls and Cumberland (the road in Pawtucket has already been resurfaced); streetscape improvements, including sidewalks, crosswalks, trees and plantings, traffic lights, and more; and drainage improvements, including repairs to existing features as well as some new ones, like “green infrastructure” that will use plants to filter stormwater naturally.

Construction in phases is expected to begin in April and be completed in April 2021.