Tagged: RIPTA

A plan to fill Kennedy Plaza in Providence with a mix of pedestrian-friendly activities will be announced Thursday evening.

The effort to populate Kennedy Plaza with more people is being led by the Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy. The group’s head, Cliff Wood, said it will take time and a mix of millions of dollars in public and private money to reach the goal. The vision is to fill Kennedy Plaza with a variety of uses, like transit, shopping, socializing, concerts, a beer garden and children’s programs.

The number two man at the Rhode Island State Police is retiring next week. Deputy Superintendent Raymond Studley is stepping down after 22 years on the job.

His future with the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority is unclear.  Studley has been running RIPTA since last summer, when a camera was found covered over in a room where money is counted. 

RIPTA board chairman Scott Avedisian says no decision has been made on whether the agency will retain Studley. His title at RIPTA is interim CEO.

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority will hold a hearing Monday on restoring bus service to Tiverton.  Tiverton hasn’t had bus service in nearly five years. It was suspended when weight limits were placed on the Sakonnet River Bridge.

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority is considering changes to its bus service and wants the public to weigh in. The transit authority is considering two alternatives to how it’s running now.

RIPTA marketing director Amy Pettine says the changes won’t add costs to running the transit system, but could expand service in some much-needed parts of the state. She says this includes a new route proposed for Woonsocket and better coordination with commuter rail.

The head of the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority is out five months after he was placed on paid administrative leave for undisclosed reasons.

Charles Odimgbe has severed his relationship with RIPTA, according to a tersely written press release issued by the transit authority’s board.  The decision to end his employment was mutual, according to the statement.