FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions from Route Alternatives and Public Engagement Process

QUESTION: Will the shared use path on the west side of Ferry Road impact the existing street trees?

ANSWER: The west side of Ferry Road is defined by its wide right of way, stone walls and many trees – some in the public right of way and most on private property. The intent of the project is to maintain and preserve the mature and healthy trees along Ferry Road and to incorporate them into the route design, while maintaining cyclist and pedestrian safety.

QUESTION: Will the improvement of cycling and pedestrian facilities result in the loss of parking on the routes?

ANSWER: The goal of the BBC Project is to improve bike and pedestrian facilities within the overall goals and objectives of the Town. Because the route travels through the dense historic center of Bristol, the connector must balance other needs such as on-street parking. The Town has committed that the project be carried out s that it does not eliminate existing on-street parking.

QUESTION: What happens after this first phase of the project is complete?

ANSWER: Once the Bristol Town Council selects the streets to be improved for cyclists and pedestrians, the Town will commission the consultants to undertake schematic design, permitting from regulatory agencies and eventually creation of construction documents so that the project will be “shovel ready” and construction funding can be secured.

QUESTION: How is the Town paying for this part of the project and how will it pay for construction in the future?

ANSWER: The current grant supporting the route analysis, schematic design, permitting and creation of construction documents is being funded by a grant from RI Department of Environmental Management. Once those phases are complete, the Town will be seeking state and federal funding for implementation of the route construction.

QUESTION: The north-south connector is a good improvement, but what about east-west connections across Bristol?

ANSWER: The current project funded under this grant is for an improved north-south connection, but many participants in the public engagement processes have requested that the Town also pay attention to improving bicycle and pedestrian connections that go from east to west. Specific suggestions include the neighborhoods and corridors around:

· Mount Hope Farm/Mount Hope Avenue

· State Street

· Bayview Avenue

· Annawamscutt Drive/Chestnut Street

· Narrows Road/Gooding Avenue corridor

· Sherman Avenue/Michael Drive/Tupelo Street/Beach Road

While it is not part of the current project, the Town is interested in exploring these potential connections in the near future as part of a larger connectivity effort in the Town.

QUESTION: At the beginning of the process several of the routes crossed through wooded areas north of Griswold Avenue. Why were these routes changed during the public input and Route Alternatives evaluation process?

ANSWER: Prior studies of a potential bicycle connector route showed connections across the wooded areas as a way of staying off of local roads. After the August 24, 2020 public workshop, several stakeholders felt that this was infeasible because of environmental concerns and legal restrictions. The project team researched the issues and determined that a new construction of an off-road path through this area was legally infeasible and removed it from the Route Alternatives. The team then revised the red and blue routes around this area and changed the Route Alternatives Map to reflect that input.

QUESTION: Why did the project looking at four different routes – isn’t that a waste of time and effort?

ANSWER: Part of any good planning process is to be open to several different ways of solving a problem. The project scope calls for formulating four different possible routes so stakeholders can learn about different potential solutions and express opinions on all of them. In this way, the project team can hear about those routes that get positive reactions as well as routes that elicit negative reactions so that the best possible route can be selected.