Barrington council adopts Complete Streets implementation plan to guide sidewalks, bike lanes and project prioritization

Barrington’s Town Council unanimously adopted the Complete Streets implementation plan developed with consulting firm Fuss & O’Neil and the town’s Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC). The plan maps a long-term vision for pedestrian and bicycle networks, ranks gaps by user stress and connectivity, and identifies five priority projects to pursue for design and funding.

The plan sets out why the town needs a prioritized approach. Arnold Robinson, regional director of planning for Fuss & O’Neil, told the council the project built on earlier plans and added prioritization, stakeholder outreach and a data-driven “user stress” analysis to identify where residents feel least safe walking or biking.

Nut graf: The plan gives Barrington an ordered menu of projects and funding/advocacy steps. Councilors and BPAC members said the plan translates years of public input into an implementation roadmap the town can use to compete for state and federal grants and to coordinate with Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) projects.

Key features and next steps - Prioritized network: The plan separates bicycle and pedestrian networks, maps gaps and ranks projects that will connect the most households and key destinations (schools, downtown, East Bay Bike Path). Robinson said BPAC field surveys produced about 6,000 data points used in the user-stress analysis. - Five near-term projects: Fuss & O’Neil and BPAC recommended five priority items for advancing into design: improvements on Washington Road; Soames Road; a connector through Veterans Park linking Naya Road, the Y and Waseca neighborhood; the Martin and Lamson corridor; and input for Route 114 (a RIDOT-owned road coming up for resurfacing). The consultants also produced order-of-magnitude cost estimates and conceptual sketches for those projects. - Schools and crossings: The plan calls out site-specific pedestrian safety work around schools and hazardous East Bay Bike Path crossings as priorities for low-cost and grant-funded treatments. - Funding and advocacy: The plan includes a funding and advocacy chapter to help Barrington compete for state and federal grants, and encourages local match and phased work so the town can advance shovel-ready projects when funding becomes available.

Council response and adopted motion Vice President Burrard and other councilors praised the plan’s public engagement and the BPAC’s detailed fieldwork. Councilors discussed the difference between state-owned and town-owned roads and noted a recent proposed state bill that, if enacted, would shift certain sidewalk maintenance responsibilities on state highways to the state. Robinson advised the council to adopt the plan as a policy foundation that can be used when negotiating with RIDOT and pursuing competitive grants.

The council voted 5–0 to receive and adopt the plan. The resolution directs staff and BPAC to use the plan to pursue design and funding for the prioritized projects.

Ending: The plan will guide the town’s next steps on sidewalks, crossings and bike facilities, and councilors said they expect to bring funding and design actions back to future meetings as grants and local match options are identified.