You are Invited: Presentation of Aquidneck Island Planning Study

With the Aquidneck Island & NAVSTA Newport Compatible Use Study nearing completion, this is an opportunity to offer public comment on the draft plan.  

The plan sponsors will make a presentation to the State Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) and you are invited:

Following the presentation, the public comment period (at the bottom of the agenda) will be an opportunity to share your opinion on these recommendations to prioritize investments in active and public transportation. Public comment can also be made via Zoom if you cannot attend in person. 

Background:

The Navy, Aquidneck Island municipalities, and other key stakeholders have been studying regional planning opportunities to ensure that the military and island communities can efficiently and effectively coexist and support one another over the next several decades.  The study is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC). 

Transportation is a key element of this study.

The study’s recommendations focus on Transportation, Land Use and Water/Sewer Infrastructure. The range of transportation strategies to improve/expand multimodal transportation options include:

• Greater RIPTA Service Frequency
• Transform Burma Road into a green multimodal corridor with public shoreline access 
• Transportation Demand Management Programming for employers
• Protected bike lanes along East & West Main Roads
• Road Diet / Lane Reallocation
• Multimodal hubs at the Pell Bridge ramps and/or Melville 
• Explore return of passenger rail service along the Newport Secondary rail corridor 

The recommended investments align with the recently updated (Dec. 2025) State Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), including emission reduction mandates in The Act on Climate.

This is an exceptional chance to respond regarding what matters to you.

You’re encouraged to attend in person if you can, and public comment will also be accepted via Zoom. The Zoom link will be posted with the meeting agenda a few days before the meeting on the Secretary of State TAC Meeting page. Bike Newport will update this post with the agenda once posted. RSVP‘s are encouraged. 

Community voices and responses matter. If we want a transportation system that works for everyone —whether that’s safer streets, better transit, emission reduction, traffic mitigation, or better access to jobs — this is a moment when our responses are invited and valuable.