Showers this morning, becoming a steady rain during the afternoon hours. Some mixed winter precipitation possible. High 43F. Winds E at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%..
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Rain giving way to foggy conditions overnight. Thunder possible. Low 38F. E winds shifting to WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
PAWTUCKET – Pawtucket is receiving an outsized portion, or about half, of $2.5 million in Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank grants statewide, giving the city a leg up as it continues to pursue major infrastructure upgrades in the downtown, along the riverfront, and near a newly opened train station.
According to a winning grant application provided to The Breeze this week, a $350,000 grant will go toward green stormwater infrastructure, landscaping, increased accessibility and resetting of curbing and striping for new parking along Dexter Street, Andrew Ferland Way and Mason Street, complementing the future mixed-use development of Dexter Street Commons at 71 Dexter St.
The project near the new Pawtucket-Central Falls Transit Center is now set for construction next year, according to a sign at the site, and will “buck the existing trend of local commute modes” in a city where most commuters currently drive a car alone, states the application.
The Dexter Street Commons developer is planning $40 million of on-site improvements, including 153,000 square feet of housing and commercial spaces in the six-story building, and these infrastructure investments would beautify the area while removing impediments to pedestrian activity and accessibility.
Pawtucket also won Infrastructure Bank awards of:
• $350,000 for the design, permitting, and construction of sections of a riverwalk, including a pedestrian bridge, along the Pawtucket River near the new Tidewater soccer stadium.
The riverfront funding, according to a grant application, is less than half of what the city requested toward the project, which will go toward riverwalk development on both the stadium side of the river and the east side of the river connecting to Festival Pier and a new stormwater wetland park, as well as a future pedestrian bridge connecting both.
• And $500,000 for reconstruction of sewer pipe connecting Prospect Heights affordable housing development, built in 1942, to the city sewer system.
The 24-inch sewer pipe, states a grant application, needs to be replaced because it’s located under an existing 60-inch pipe in Beverage Hill Avenue that acts as a siphon, causing frequent sewage backups at thee 312-unit affordable housing complex and need for jetting the line.
Grants also went to the communities of East Providence, North Providence, East Greenwich, Lincoln and Cranston.
“From upgrading sewer and stormwater infrastructure around affordable housing developments, to building a new riverwalk, to athletic field improvements, to Main Street revitalization, these grants will help our municipal partners implement infrastructure solutions that improve quality of life and spark economic development,” said Jeff Diehl, executive director and CEO of Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank.
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Comments that will be deleted include:
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