On Tuesday, March 19, the City of Providence and Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council celebrated the groundbreaking for the Promenade-Kinsley Greenway, known as the Woonasquatucket River Greenway Improvement Project.
The biggest and immediate change visible will be Kinsley Avenue will become a one-lane, one-way street going east towards the Providence Place Mall and will remain open for the duration of construction.
The Woonasquatucket River Greenway Improvement Project will enhance a one-mile section of the Woonasquatucket River Greenway between Downtown and Eagle Street in the City’s Valley and Smith Hill neighborhoods. In addition to being a key focus of the Woonasquatucket Vision Plan and Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, this project is a critical segment of the citywide Urban Trail Initiative. This one-mile off-road, shared use path will provide a safe connection for those walking and riding bicycles between downtown Providence and Eagle Square, enhance the urban/natural river interface, increase public recreational use of the riverfront, strengthen stormwater management, encourage economic development, and create stronger connections between Downtown and the Smith Hill, Valley, and Olneyville neighborhoods.
The general construction schedule includes:
- March 18-22, 2024: Detour signs are installed and site preparations begin
- March 25, 2024: Signal timing modifications made to support detour routes
- March 26, 2024: Detour is implemented
- April-October 2024: Construction of all project roadway elements takes place
- Fall 2024-Spring 2025: Eagle Street kayak launch constructed
Construction will generally occur between the hours of 7am and 3pm Monday-Friday.
Kinsley Avenue will be converted to a one-lane one-way street for cars headed eastbound toward Downtown; a new shared use path is created along the River’s edge.
Eagle Street will be narrowed, but still bidirectional for cars; parallel on-street parking will be added to both sides of Eagle Street; the Eagle-Kinsley intersection will be redesigned to make it safer.
Left turns from Dean Street onto Promenade Street will be prohibited to reduce congestion on the bridge and add time to the pedestrian signal to make it safer for people walking.
The Bath Street bridge will be converted to one-way northbound travel only.
Promenade Street will narrowed to one lane, and continues in the westbound direction from Park Street. A new shared use path will be constructed along the river, separated from vehicular travel with landscaping, bioswales and other green infrastructure to enhance stormwater management and water quality while reducing flooding.
When Kinsley Ave. is converted to one-way, drivers will have alternative route options to circle back to destinations west of Dean Street.
- Alternate Route 1: Right onto Acorn Street, right onto Harris Avenue, right onto Sims Avenue, right onto Kinsley Avenue
- Alternate Route 2: Left onto Dean Street, left onto Valley Street, left onto Eagle Street, left onto Kinsley Avenue
- Alternate Route 3: Straight through Dean Street, left onto Bath Street Bridge, left onto Promenade, EITHER: right onto Pleasant Valley Parkway, left onto Valley Street OR continue to Hemlock, Street, left onto Valley Street, left onto Eagle Street, left onto Kinsley Avenue