Foster council and residents debate DOT plan for rumble strips on Route 101

The Foster Town Council spent part of its April 10 meeting discussing a Rhode Island Department of Transportation proposal to install rumble strips on Route 101. Town officials said DOT asked the council for local input before installation; councilors said DOT had previously installed rumble strips on Route 6 and that the agency sought the town’s approval to proceed on Route 101.

Councilors and residents acknowledged that rumble strips can reduce run‑off‑road crashes but raised multiple concerns about noise and safety. Several residents said Route 101 runs close to homes and that shoulder rumble strips could be loud for nearby residents. Others warned that rumble strips near the white edge lines present a hazard for bicyclists using the shoulder; a resident noted that hitting a shoulder rumble strip while descending Prairie Hill could cause a serious crash for a cyclist.

Council members asked staff to continue discussions with DOT and to explore alternatives or mitigations, including whether striping changes or different rumble-strip placements would achieve safety goals with fewer local impacts. The council did not take formal action on the DOT request at the meeting; the item remained on the old‑business list for further discussion at a future meeting.

The council referenced national crash-data programs in discussing the request; one councilor noted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) traffic data and traffic‑study criteria that previously prevented installation of a traffic signal at another Route 101 intersection. Town staff said police and local safety officers are involved in future traffic‑safety conversations with the state.