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Kennedy Plaza repaving ahead of schedule

2:36 PM Tue, Nov 03, 2009 | Permalink
By News staff

By Bruce Landis
Journal Staff Writer

Journal photo/ Frieda Squires
Repaving at Kennedy Plaza in Providence has forced riders to catch their buses at different spots in downtown Providence.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A contractor for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority is tearing up the asphalt at Kennedy Plaza, the state's major bus hub, forcing the agency to spread its stops to the surrounding blocks. But so far, bus riders seem to be finding their buses without major problems.

The authority's deputy general manager, Henry S. Kinch, said that construction, which began Sunday night, is going well enough that RIPTA hopes to finish the resurfacing a few days before the scheduled completion date, Nov. 26. J. H. Lynch Sons is the contractor.

A scattering of passengers said in interviews that they had no trouble finding their new stops, mostly because of the fliers that RIPTA distributed ahead of time. The fliers include an aerial photo showing the locations of 18 temporary stops and the buses that stop at them.

Kinch said the public has been cooperative. He said the project is working as well as it is because the authority put out a great deal of information, using fliers, maps, radio and newspaper advertising, and either visits or emails to officials at about 80 nearby businesses, to let riders know where to catch their buses. RIPTA supervisors have been posted around the plaza to help people find their new stops.

"We could do better," Kinch said, but he added that RIPTA has been able to respond as problems developed, like adding signs for the Greyhound and Bonanza buses.

The longest walk the new stops could require is a bit less than half a mile, from Exchange Street at the eastern corner of the plaza around the plaza to the far end of the Providence Convention Center, on Sabin Street. Kinch acknowledged that some of the displaced stops can result in long walk and problems for riders making connections between buses.

For instance, Kevin Butler said RIPTA did an "admirable" job explaining the changes, but said he that he now must walk from Exchange Street to the far distant corner of Kennedy Plaza. He said he's worried about making a connection with the last bus of the day, at 7 p.m., or having to hope for a ride.

Kinch said the authority's supervisors are holding some buses to let riders make that sort of connection, if riders let bus drivers know about the problem.

Video: A different kind of rush hour at Kennedy Plaza