Safe Streets for All

Providence is taking the next step toward safer streets. Learn more here.

In 2023 the City was awarded a “Safe Streets for All” grant to design, enhance and construct more than 3 miles of Urban Trails to add to the City’s existing network. This project will create last-mile connections to residential, employment, and cultural activity centers between the city’s 25 neighborhoods while significantly reducing fatal and serious crashes for vulnerable road users.

The trails are a combination of on-road and road-adjacent protected bicycle lanes and shared-use trails, neighborhood greenways on low-volume streets, and off-road shared-use paths.

The grant funded an updated Safe Streets Plan, as well as design and construction of the following safety improvements:


  • Broadway: conversion of existing bike lanes to a protected urban trail in line with designs proposed in the Great Streets Plan
  • South Water Street: conversion of existing urban trail to sidewalk elevation
  • Fountain Street: conversion of existing one-way protected bike lane to two-way protected urban trail with an extension to Biltmore Park across Dorrance Street and to Broadway via Greene Street
  • Olneyville Square: intersection circulation and safety improvements and new urban trail connections through the Square
  • Washington Secondary Trail: a new protected urban trail along the east side of RI-10 connecting Providence’s urban trail network with the Depot Street end of the Washington Secondary Trail in Cranston
  • Enhancing buffers on existing protected urban trails: Urban trails in locations such as Broad Street, West Franklin Street, and Chestnut Street were built with temporary materials such as plastic flex-posts. This project will address lessons learned on these corridors and upgrade the buffers with lower-maintenance materials.

Public Engagement and Timeline

The project kicked off in summer 2024 and will be complete in 2028. Early in the process and before construction activities begins, City staff will work with the communities around the project locations to hear feedback and priorities to guide the design process. This website will be updated with more details as they become available. The overall engagement timeline is:

  • October 2024: Public meetings at Bell Street Chapel, Olneyville Community Library, Children’s Friend Althea building, and Doorley Municipal Building
  • October 21, 2024: Launch of online survey and Storymap
  • March 12, 2025: Presentation on Safe Streets Plan to City Council Special Committee on Environment and Resiliency
  • April 2025: Providence Safe Streets Plan completed
  • June 2025: Public meetings at Asa Messer Elementary School, Fox Point Boys and Girls Club, and Children’s Friend Althea building
  • August 2025: Community Meeting about Olneyville Square improvements
  • April 7, 2026: Presentation to West Broadway Neighborhood Association Business Meetup about Broadway plans
  • Spring-Summer 2026: South Water Street construction begins
  • 2027 – 2028: Construction of remaining improvements

 

Click here to view frequently asked questions about bike lane infrastructure: https://www.providenceri.gov/bikelanes/

Safe Streets materials & related initiatives

Contact Us
ss4a@providenceri.gov

Ian Cullings, Project Manager, 401-680-8578
Alex Ellis, Principal Planner, 401-680-8522