Proposal: 65 Prov. roads need repair

PROVIDENCE, R.I. ( WPRI) - Providence city officials have drawn up plans and a timetable for fixing the city's crumbling roads.

The first of five informational sessions on the city's $40 million road repair bond proposal was held Thursday night at Esek Hopkins Middle School.

At the meeting, residents who live and drive in Providence said some roads in the city are fine and that many are not.

“On the other side of Providence we notice a lot of bad roads. Especially when it rains, you know, we have all this flooding,” said Eva Hulse-Avila, a Providence resident.

Providence is looking to fix roads by asking residents to vote on a $40 million bond issue.

“It will not significantly change the current debt that the city has through the bond market,” said Mayor Taveras’ spokesperson, David Ortiz.

But, it would add about $3.2 million to the general operating debt in 2014, that’s equal to about $20 per resident on an annual basis.

In the meeting, residents learned that the city identified 65 roads in need of repair.

Streets were picked based on condition, amount of travel it receives, the amount of money it would take to repair the road and how long the repairs would take.

“One of the biggest complaints that we receive on a regular basis from residents of Providence, which is the conditions of our roads.” explained Ortiz.

Residents remain hopeful about the future of Providence roads.

“If they fix roads, we’re gonna have better cars, better commute to work. So, we do need good roads in our city,” continued Hulse Avila.

Residents will be asked to vote on the bond at the general election on November 6.

If the bond is approved, work could begin as early as Spring 2013.

Based on the proposed plans, the South Side of Providence could see some of the first repairs.