Transportation hub would be a vibrant park 'where we all come together'

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — As they set up for a Burnside Music Series performance late Thursday afternoon, Roz and the Rice Cakes enjoyed a light spray from the Bajnotti Fountain with each puff of breeze.

A few minutes later, Mayor Jorge O. Elorza unveiled a plan for transforming Kennedy Plaza into "a true civic heart for our city," something less like a commuter hub and more like New York City's Bryant Park.

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Bonnie Nickerson, Elorza's chief planner, ran through how Kennedy Plaza would transform away from being the state's largest transit hub:

— Bus stops will be confined to Washington Street, which will become two-way in the plaza and be restricted to buses only. Cars and other traffic will be directed onto Fulton Street, which will be two-way with parallel parking on both sides.

— At the center of the plaza, a prominent new walkway will allow the flow of pedestrians across Fulton and Washington streets to the plaza and park. Space gained by reducing the bus presence will be improved with shaded seating, landscaping and public art.

— The bus-only East Approach between the skating rink and Burnside Park will be removed, creating a single connected park from the Biltmore to the post office.

— Buildings will go up near the rink for offices, eateries, bathrooms and warming areas.

The vision is the result of an elaborate public engagement process. Members of the public were consulted, as were business leaders and representatives of the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, the Providence Foundation, the Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy and the Providence Parks Department.

Elorza noted: "This is our main public space in the entire city, the point where we all come together as a city."

Cliff Wood, the Providence Foundation's executive director, predicted that as the plaza grows more welcoming, people will create habits and rituals "that make this your space."

RIPTA planner Amy Pettine said the transit authority's shrinking footprint in the plaza was part of the move to "a really rich, robust transit system."

Instead of one main hub in the plaza, the city will have two hubs, one at the Amtrak station and one closer to the Hospital District and Upper South Providence. The Downtown Transit Connector will provide “high-frequency” service between the two hubs, with six stops along the route. Kennedy Plaza will be one of the stops, but buses will not linger near the public space.

Construction on the $17-million connector project, with $13 million coming from a U.S. Department of Transportation TIGER grant, is scheduled to start in the spring of 2018.

A Boston Bruins fan event at the skating rink Thursday evening created its own celebratory atmosphere.

Children climbed and spun in Burnside Park's new Brandon’s Beach playground. A crowd began filling the space between the stage and the Trinity Brewhouse beer truck.

A toddler and her father, riding skateboards on hands and knees, wove among the feet of staff members from various collaborating entities. An apparently exhausted individual slept on a park bench, turning over but not sitting up when speakers' voices boomed from the sound system.

— dnaylor@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7411

— jtempera@providencejournal.com

401-277-7121

On Twitter: @donita22, @jacktemp