Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Road Parking Commons topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DOT striping plan for The Commons prompts town questions and request to explore scenic-highway option
Summary
Rhode Island DOT presented a striping-only plan for The Commons that would add about 85 parking spaces and alter traffic patterns; the council directed the solicitor to research scenic-highway options and will send comments to DOT ahead of a May 7 review.
Rhode Island Department of Transportation engineers presented a revised striping plan for The Commons that would convert some legs to one-way traffic and add roughly 85 parking spaces under a striping-only schedule DOT calls a summer 2026 project if approved by the state Traffic Safety Commission.
Town staff told the council the plan initially proposed 91 spots and was later revised down to about 85. The project would remove a small island at an intersection, relocate signage, and add parallel and angled spaces; the state will present the plan to the Traffic Safety Commission on May 7. Town staff emphasized this is DOT work on a state road and that DOT standards and federal funding rules will constrain final design choices.
Local business owners and residents urged the council to press the state about pedestrian safety, line of sight and the loss of downtown curbside spaces. Sid Wardell, owner of the Culver Store property and a longtime resident, said employees and patrons from nearby businesses regularly use private lots behind Wilbur’s and that the new lines may exacerbate a parking shortfall. He urged the council to coordinate with the building official and to require businesses to meet their off-street parking obligations.
Council members also discussed signage, guardrail placement and how DOT’s current sign styles differ from local character. In response the council voted to ask the town solicitor to return with recommendations on pursuing a scenic-highway designation or other legal avenues to gain greater local control over signage and streetscape treatments.
The DOT proposal remains subject to state approval; the council and staff will forward comments to DOT in advance of the May 7 Traffic Safety Commission review.
