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Providence - December 2010
   

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Providence, RI — Three Streetcar Routes Selected

Rail Transit Online, December 2010

Three route options have been selected by the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) as finalists for the Core Connector, a proposed two-mile (3.2 km) downtown Providence streetcar circulator. There is little difference between the three; all would use Angell and Exchange streets but take slightly different alignments through Kennedy Plaza and the Jewelry District while still serving Brown University, the convention center, a sports arena and Rhode Island Hospital. RIPTA is expected to make a final choice in January 2011.

"This is no small task," said agency special projects manager and planner Amy Pettine. "This is visionary and we're excited, but we have a long way to go." Although a streetcar is the preferred mode of elected officials, RIPTA is still studying alternatives; that decision will be made next spring.

A preliminary estimate puts the connector's capital cost at $76 million, half of which officials hope will come from the federal government. If financing comes through as scheduled, construction could start in the summer of 2013 and be completed 18 months later.

 

 

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