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Council considers $500,000 to get Transportation Master Plan projects shovel‑ready
Summary
Staff proposed using $500,000 to advance the Transportation Master Plan—either for engineering/consultant work or to construct a short‑term priority project on Narragansett (Ochre Point to Spring) that would expand sidewalks, bike infrastructure and grant competitiveness.
City staff and the planner Trish Reynolds described a proposed $500,000 funding allocation to begin implementing the Transportation Master Plan. Trish Reynolds (speaker 8) said the money could be used either to complete engineering and design work that makes projects grant‑ready or to start construction on a short‑term priority in the plan; she identified a Narragansett corridor project (Ochre Point to Spring) as a candidate and said, "This project, we've estimated through our engineering department to cost 500,000."
Councilors pressed whether the appropriation would pay for planning only or for actual construction, and whether the work could be split over two years to reduce pressure on other funding sources. Staff said engineering design is partly complete, the project could be completed within a one‑year timeframe absent outside grants, and that construction would be supervised by city staff with outside contractors performing work. The administration argued a first, visible infrastructure investment would help the city compete for grant funding and demonstrate progress on the five‑year plan.
Council asked staff to return with a clearer scope of deliverables, a timeline and grant leverage assumptions for the $500,000 allocation ahead of the June budget reading.
