Survey says: Fix Smithfield Ave.

Most folks think the Smithfield Avenue intersection on North Main can’t get much worse than it is, while a gloomy few think it could if made two-way.

Summit Neighborhood Assocation’s unscientific survey of readers via newsletter, email and this web site on whether to make the one-way intersection into a conventional two-way connection drew 35 online respondents and five mailed responses. Only five said “no,” while 30 said “yes.” Five people hit the “don’t know” button.

Early replies favor intersection change

As of Sunday, we have had 26 folks weigh in on the idea of making the Smithfield Ave. intersection with North Main Street two-way. While not conclusive, only a small number object and those on the basis of specific concerns that would have to be addressed by engineering studies before the project could go ahead. We’ll continue to ask for responses and in particular ask for North Main business people to participate.

Our survey question:

1. Assuming traffic safety standards are met, would you support changing this one-way intersection at North Main and Smithfield Avenue to two-way? 

Responses:
YES – 19
NO – 4
DONT KNOW – 4

Comments suggest issues that any engineering study would need to evaluate, including making it safer for pedestrians on North Main to cross Smithfield Ave, providing continued access to the Peter Pan Bus station and preventing new traffic bottlenecks and long wait times. An interesting question is whether Frost Street, which is also one-way for one block as it enters North Main, should also be made two-way if we change Smithfield. Read complete comments:

Should the Smithfield Ave. intersection be two-way?

 

Why is this intersection one-way?

On Tuesday, the Project steering group, joined by Rep. Gordon Fox and Councilman Kevin Jackson, talked about the possibility of making the Smithfield Ave connector between North Main and Nashua Streets two-way with DOT’s Francisco Lovera. We agreed to get more input from the community before making such a request, but here is the current status and future process as decribed by Francisco on Sept. 10:

Hi Jon,
 
Thank you for the invitation to the neighborhood meeting last night.  The Department of Transportation is always open to receive feed back from citizens.  We appreciate and encourage these exchanges because they help us keep our infrastructure up and running with the end user in mind.
 
In regard to the signal at the North Main Street/Smithfield Avenue intersection, we found out that the requested change to Smithfield Avenue was outside of the scope of work at the time the North Main Street Project was on design.  As I mentioned yesterday, a change like this has to be approved by the State Traffic Commission (STC) at the requested of either the City of Providence or a State Representative or Senator.  

Transit experts: North Main key to RI transit future

Looming RIPTA service cuts competed with street flooding, the potential for making Smithfield Avenue’s intersection with North Main two-way and a visionary future of bus or rail rapid transit for space on a crowded transit agenda at a meeting of Project committee members and transit experts Francisco Lovera of the RI Department of Transportation and Mark Therrien, assistant general manager of the RI Public Transportation Authority. Our thanks to Franciso and Mark and to Representative Gordon Fox and City Councilman Kevin Jackson, who both joined us.

As a result of this meeting, we will explore support and potential for making the Smithfield Avenue intersection two-way like other major connections along North Main and begin seeking action on chronic street flooding at the Third Street intersection. We also got a good primer on mass transit planning that we can draw on in future planning on North Main. In the short term, we also offered our support to protect current RIPTA service on North Main.