Providence Riverwalk Resilience Project

Background
In Providence, the Riverwalk and Waterplace Park are beloved public spaces in the heart of Downtown. Created in the 1980s and 90s by relocating railroad tracks, fields of surface parking, and roads that once covered the Woonasquatucket, Moshassuck, and Providence rivers, the City of Providence constructed the Riverwalk and Waterplace Park to reclaim the riverfront as a vibrant place for people. Since then, numerous challenges and needs have emerged that must be addressed to preserve these important economic assets for future generations.

Providence Riverwalk Resilience Project
The City is prepared to make a series of bold investments that will address: more frequent & severe flooding caused by sea-level rise; a lack of ADA-compliant routes to & along the Riverwalk & in Waterplace Park; public safety concerns due to poor sight lines & access from surrounding streets; water quality issues caused by untreated stormwater runoff; structural degradation of the Riverwalk walls; poor bicycle accessibility along the Riverwalk; & unsafe access for people walking & biking between the central plaza & transportation hub at Kennedy Plaza, the Riverwalk, & Waterplace Park.

Photo Showing Phase 1 rendering of new bicycle and pedestrian bridge to connect Riverwalk to planned development in Kennedy Plaza
Figure 1: Rendering showing the new bicycle and pedestrian bridge proposed as Phase 1 that will connect Riverwalk to planned development and investments in Kennedy Plaza, replacing two flooded and unsafe pedestrian tunnels.

Funding
The USDOT Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) National Coastal Resiliency Fund (NCRF) are focused on funding local infrastructure resiliency projects, funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

The City of Providence was awarded $1,000,000 in NFWF NCRF funds and $7,800,000 in USDOT RAISE planning funds to advance Phases 1 and 2 of the Riverwalk Resilience Project. The City is also utilizing $2,000,000 in Providence Capital Improvement (CIP) funds.

Project Status
The project is currently at 30% design. This funding would bring Phases 1 & 2 to final full engineering, continue community engagement, conduct an economic development analysis and complete permitting.

Map of phases of the Riverwalk Resilience Project
Figure 2: Riverwalk Resilience Project Phasing Plan

Project Goals

  • Create a new ADA-accessible shared use path that is safe for people of all ages & abilities between Francis & Steeple streets.
  • Create seven new ADA access points to the Riverwalk.
  • Improve connectivity with surrounding streets to improve public safety & accessibility.
  • Raise the new shared use path & Riverwalk above future flood elevations.
  • Address structural deficiencies in sections of Riverwalk walls that will remain.
  • Replace the pedestrian bridge over the river at Waterplace to make it ADA- & bike-accessible.
  • Replace flooded, unsafe pedestrian tunnels with a new bike/ped bridge to connect the Riverwalk to Kennedy Plaza (the City’s central civic plaza & transportation hub) & catalyze private development.
  • Create safe new crosswalks for people walking & biking across Memorial Blvd & Exchange Terrace.
  • Install adaptive signal control technology along Memorial Blvd to adjust signal timing to accommodate changing traffic patterns, improve travel time reliability, reduce congestion, & reduce emissions.
  • Filter stormwater runoff that currently runs into the river from surrounding streets.
  • Install new wayfinding & interpretive signage to improve navigability for people walking & biking.
  • Demolish hardened riverwalk walls between Waterplace & Steeple Street.
  • Naturalize riverbanks beneath the raised shared use path to improve water quality, resiliency, & habitat.
Timing
Project kicked off in June 2024, with Arup US, Inc as the prime engineering and design consultant. Engineering and permitting will be complete by early 2027. Construction will be dependent on sourcing federal funding.

Impacts
The Riverwalk Resilience Project will:

  • Make the Riverwalk fully ADA accessible
  • Enhance the resilience of an at-risk world-renowned critical public infrastructure asset in the center of Providence
  • Improve water quality and habitat for native tidal-river species along an American Heritage River
  • Fill a critical gap in Providence’s citywide Urban Trail Network
  • Connect 55 miles of existing regional trail systems that reach beyond Providence to one another, to Areas of Persistent Poverty, Historically Disadvantaged Neighborhoods, and Downtown
  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled
  • Decrease household transportation costs
  • Break down barriers to jobs and opportunities
  • Increase opportunities for tourism
  • Improve public health through improved air quality and access to sustainable forms of transportation and recreation
Public Engagement Meetings and Materials

On September 24, 2024, the Department of Planning and Development hosted a hybrid public meeting to discuss design plans to improve climate resilience, accessibility, economic growth, and sustainable placemaking for the Riverwalk and Waterplace Park.

The presentation slide deck from the meeting is available for review here. The feedback activity boards can be reviewed here.