Providence City Council Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan, (Ward 5) announced today that Eaton Street shall be returned to its original traffic pattern.
“Making our City streets safe and accessible to all is one of my top priorities,” stated Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan. “We need to balance all new initiatives with the needs of the surrounding community, particularly when it is a matter of public safety. After hosting two community meetings and hearing from a cross-section of the Elmhurst neighborhood where residents articulated their incisive observations with the Eaton Street traffic redesign, I am pleased to report that the Mayor has agreed with us.”
Majority Leader Ryan continued, “I want to thank my neighbors for working together to address these genuine issues of public safety. Our voices were heard loud and clear. Further, I also want to emphasize that my neighbors are not opposed to creating bike lanes on City streets. We simply ask the City administration to be mindful of the public engagement and vetting process.”
After several meetings with Mayor Jorge Elorza and his department Directors, Majority Leader Ryan was successful in convincing City officials to have Eaton Street returned to its original traffic pattern. The remedial work will commence in a timely fashion.
Ryan continued, “I applaud the Mayor’s vision for a City that is responsive to multimodal transportation. However, this plan that was rolled out for Eaton Street did not fit or serve this community’s needs. Please note, I want to genuinely thank Mayor Elorza and his Directors for their professionalism and their willingness to engage with us to reconsider this plan implementation.”
Therefore, due to these recent developments, the community meeting which was tentatively scheduled on October 2, 2019 at St. Pius V Church has been canceled.
As any additional information regarding this important community issue arises, such news will be shared here on the City Council web page and on social media.
Senior Deputy Majority Leader Nicholas J. Narducci Jr. (Ward 4) today was on site where work is beginning on the Hawkins Street Bridge Restoration Project.
“The closing of the Hawkins Street Bridge has caused many issues in our neighborhood,” stated Senior Deputy Majority Leader Nicholas J. Narducci Jr. “I am happy to report that the first phase of this project is beginning. Crews were on site today to remove trees and brush to make way for the rebuilding project. Although the bridge will not be reopened for some time, this is a positive step.”
Hawkins Street Bridge was closed to traffic in October of 2017 after the Rhode Island Department of Transportation found significant deterioration on several of the support beams. Narducci continued, “The closure has not only impacted residents but many businesses in the neighborhood. I have been an outspoken advocate working with the City and the State to get the bridge work done. I want to thank RIDOT and the City for working to get this bridge fixed for our residents.”
As work progresses Senior Deputy Majority Leader Narducci will provide updates on the status of the project.
ប្រធានក្រុមប្រឹក្សា Matos បានបន្តទៀតថា “នេះគឺជាអាទិភាពសម្រាប់ក្រុមដឹកនាំរបស់ខ្ញុំ ហើយខ្ញុំចង់ថ្លែងអំណរគុណដល់ប្រធានក្រុមប្រឹក្សា Pro Tempore Michael Correia អ្នកដឹកនាំភាគច្រើន Jo-Ann Ryan និង Majority Whip John J. Igliozzi សម្រាប់ការណែនាំ និងការគាំទ្រយ៉ាងខ្ជាប់ខ្ជួន ដើម្បីធានាថា ពួកយើង អ្នកស្រុកមានការព្យាករណ៍នៅពេលនិយាយអំពីវិក័យប័ត្រពន្ធអចលនទ្រព្យប្រចាំឆ្នាំរបស់ពួកគេ។
Council Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5), Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris (Ward 11), and Councilman David A. Salvatore (Ward 14) introduced two resolutions requesting that the City of Providence provide status reports and updates on street and sidewalk projects and their expenditures associated with the $45M Bond that was approved by the City Council in 2017.
“To date the Council has had not been updated regarding what Bond proceeds have been expended,” stated Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan. “I have been advocating for accountability for the work that was authorized under this bond for months. When constituents question why certain streets are being paved or not, and why the City is installing ill-conceived street redesign plans they deserve to know how the City is spending their tax dollars. I also want to know how much of these funds were used to develop the Mayor’s ‘Great Streets’ initiative. I am not an opponent of bicycle lanes, in fact, I support creating an urban environment conducive to multimodal transportation. However, that was not what the City Council had in mind when we authorized the City to secure this bond funding. Our goal was to make sure that we spend precious taxpayer dollars to pave and fix as many streets and sidewalks as possible, and to ensure accountability in the process.”
The resolution introduced by Majority Leader Ryan and Deputy Majority Leader Harris focusses on the portion of the funding that was allocated for street repairs, paving, and improvements. “In my Ward there has been little improvement to our streets and that concerns me. My constituents continually ask when their streets are being paved or repaired and I just don’t have the answers. They deserve better,” stated Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris.
In 2017 the City Council approved the Elorza Administration to take out a $45M Bond to implement a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) to fund critical improvements to streets, sidewalks, and other infrastructure projects. To date the City Council has not received a public report regarding the status of these funds.
Councilman David A. Salvatore stated, “Holding the Administration accountable for how they spend our resident’s hard-earned tax dollars is not only our duty, but it is unfortunate that we have to do so by passing legislation to get a breakdown of what work has been done. I hear from constituents every day about the state of our sidewalks. I realize that this was a large scale project, but their needs to be transparency for our residents.”
The City Council is requesting the Administration and the Director of Public Works to submit a project progress report and fiduciary updates to the City’s Internal Auditor for review within 30 days of passage.
