REPORT DETAILS TRANSPORTATION IN NEWPORT TODAY

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Transportation Master Plan Existing Conditions Report Released

NEWPORT, R.I. (WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2022) – The City of Newport has released the first in a series of findings in its comprehensive Transportation Master Plan process. Launched in the summer of 2021, the City’s Transportation Master Plan, aims to establish a collective vision to make it safer and easier for residents and visitors navigate our streets and sidewalks.

On Wednesday, the City published the Keep Newport Moving Existing Conditions Report, which details Newport’s current transportation makeup and identifies core challenges that will serve as a foundation for the next phase of the master plan’s development.

In addition to establishing goals, the Existing Conditions Report catalogues the history of Newport transportation and the transportation conditions in Newport today. Taken together, this information will inform the recommendations to be created in the next phase of the Transportation Master Plan development.

The Existing Conditions Report summarizes:
 Public and stakeholder comments (Section 2), 
 The effect of climate change on Newport’s transportation infrastructure (Section 3), 
 The experience of people walking, biking, driving, and taking the bus in Newport (Sections 4,5,6, and 7),  
 The movement of goods and services around Newport (Section 8)
 And the signage that currently organizes the City’s transportation systems (Section 9). 

The report was compiled using both empirical data as well as direct feedback from residents, visitors, and key stakeholders. In all, between July and October of 2021, the City of Newport collected public comments from several hundred individuals concerning Newport’s transportation systems through an online, interactive map; stakeholder interviews; and numerous pop up events throughout Newport.

This outreach totaled over 700 interactions and in-person participation by over 200 people. In addition to asking people to share specific comments about their experiences walking, biking, driving, taking transit, and boating in Newport, participants were asked about their goals for the future of transportation in Newport.

Currently, the project team and City staff are developing a series of recommendations which will be reviewed by the public and stakeholders beginning in April through a similar series of digital and in-person events throughout the spring of 2022.

The final plan will be published in early fall 2022.