Safe Streets for All

Providence is taking the next step toward safer streets. Learn more here.

In 2023 the City was awarded a “Safe Streets for All” grant to design, enhance and construct more than 3 miles of Urban Trails to add to the City’s existing network. This project will create last-mile connections to residential, employment, and cultural activity centers between the city’s 25 neighborhoods while significantly reducing fatal and serious crashes for vulnerable road users.

The trails are a combination of on-road and road-adjacent protected bicycle lanes and shared-use trails, neighborhood greenways on low-volume streets, and off-road shared-use paths.

The grant includes an update to the City’s Great Streets Plan, also referred to the Safety Action Plan, as well as design and construction of the following safety improvements:


  • Broadway: conversion of existing bike lanes to a protected urban trail in line with designs proposed in the Great Streets Plan
  • South Water Street: conversion of existing urban trail to sidewalk elevation
  • Fountain Street: conversion of existing one-way protected bike lane to two-way protected urban trail with an extension to Biltmore Park across Dorrance Street and to Broadway via Greene Street
  • Olneyville Square: intersection circulation and safety improvements and new urban trail connections through the Square
  • Washington Secondary Trail: a new protected urban trail along the east side of RI-10 connecting Providence’s urban trail network with the Depot Street end of the Washington Secondary Trail in Cranston
  • Intersection of Eagle St, Atwells Ave, and Harris St: safety improvements and evaluation of traffic efficiency improvements
  • Enhancing buffers on existing protected urban trails: Urban trails in locations such as Broad Street, West Franklin Street, and Chestnut Street were built with temporary materials such as plastic flex-posts. This project will address lessons learned on these corridors and upgrade the buffers with lower-maintenance materials.

Public Engagement and Timeline

The project kicked off in summer 2024 and will be complete by summer 2028. Early in the process and before construction activities begins, City staff will work with the communities around the project locations to hear feedback and priorities to guide the design process. This website will be updated with more details as they become available. The overall engagement timeline is:

  • October 9, 2024: Public meeting at Bell Street Chapel
  • October 15, 2024: Public meeting at the Play Space at Children’s Friend
  • October 21, 2024: Launch of online survey and Storymap
  • October 23, 2024: Public meeting at Olneyville Community Library
  • October 29, 2024: Public meeting at the Doorley Municipal Building
  • Early 2025: Updated Great Streets Plan (Safety Action Plan) completed
  • Spring 2025: Second round of public meetings
  • Summer-Fall 2025: South Water Street construction
  • Fall 2025: Third round of public meetings
  • Early 2026: Fourth round of public meetings
  • 2026 – 2028: Construction of remaining improvements
Safe Streets materials & related initiatives

Contact Us
ss4a@providenceri.gov

Ian Cullings, Project Manager, 401-680-8578
Alex Ellis, Principal Planner, 401-680-8522