An alternative plan to replace the 6-10 connector highway could free up acres of land, reconnect neighborhoods, and be more cost effective, according to Providence city planners.
The aging infrastructure cuts through several neighborhoods in the city. Transportation advocates say the highway should be replaced with a boulevard with more room for pedestrians and cyclists.
The State Department of Transportation already announced their plans for the project, at an estimated cost of $400 million. The State plan leaned away from the boulevard-style concept, in part because an earlier plan to move the highway underground failed to attract enough federal funding.
The city unveiled its alternative plan for the roadway replacement project Monday. State transportation officials announced their version earlier this year.
City planner Bonnie Nickerson describes the city’s plan as a compromise.
“Right now the highway takes up a huge swath of land, and so we’ve reduced the overall profile of the highway to minimize the impact on the neighborhood,” said Nickerson. “And by doing that we’ve reclaimed about 55 acres of land.”
Nickerson believes the city’s plan may also turn out to be more cost effective.
“So overall, our design reduces the number of bridge structures throughout the corridor, which will reduce the lifecycle cost over time, and we also suspect that the upfront capital costs will be less as well,” said Nickerson.
Nickerson said the city is still actively engaged with state transportation officials about the project. The city will present fuller cost estimates for the alternative plan later this month.