How much longer could it take to walk to downtown Providence from proposed RIPTA bus hub?
Some transit advocates call it "Siberia."
The vacant lot that may hold the state's new central bus hub is located at the far western edge of the Jewelry District, practically overlooking Interstate 95. It's about a 15-minute walk away from the existing bus hub at Kennedy Plaza, which it would replace.
So would that make it harder for bus riders to get to their destinations in downtown Providence?
It depends. The walk between the bus station and the Providence Public Library, for example, wouldn't get significantly longer. But getting to the train station would become more complicated: An eight-minute walk would turn into a 24-minute walk, so anyone trying to catch an Amtrak or MBTA train would probably need to rely on the Downtown Connector.
The potential site for the new bus hub – labeled by the 195 Redevelopment District Commission as Parcel 35 – is between Friendship, Clifford, Claverick and Franklin streets, near the Providence Housing Authority's Dexter Manor and several buildings owned by Johnson & Wales University.
Below, you'll find a breakdown of how long it would take to walk to some of the major landmarks and destinations in the downtown area from the proposed hub and how that compares with existing times from Kennedy Plaza. All travel time estimates were generated by Google Maps.
Rhode Island State House
From Parcel 35: 25 minutes
From Kennedy Plaza: 10 minutes
Providence Amtrak/MBTA station
From Parcel 35: 24 minutes
From Kennedy Plaza: 8 minutes
Providence Place
From Parcel 35: 23 minutes
From Kennedy Plaza: 10 minutes
Amica Mutual Pavillion
From Parcel 35: 14 minutes
From Kennedy Plaza: 9 minutes
Mathewson Street Church
From Parcel 35: 12 minutes
From Kennedy Plaza: 7 minutes
The Arcade
From Parcel 35: 14 minutes
From Kennedy Plaza: 4 minutes
More: RIPTA enters into $16.9-million contract for its new bus hub. But where will it go?
Providence Public Library
From Parcel 35: 11 minutes
From Kennedy Plaza: 9 minutes
Providence Performing Arts Center
From Parcel 35: 9 minutes
From Kennedy Plaza: 7 minutes
AS220 Main Stage and Gallery
From Parcel 35: 10 minutes
From Kennedy Plaza: 9 minutes
Providence Children's Museum
From Parcel 35: 7 minutes
From Kennedy Plaza: 17 minutes
Davol Square
From Parcel 35: 12 minutes
From Kennedy Plaza: 15 minutes
Michael Van Leesten Pedestrian Bridge
From Parcel 35: 12 minutes
From Kennedy Plaza: 13 minutes
Providence Athenaeum
From Parcel 35: 19 minutes
From Kennedy Plaza: 7 minutes
Classical High School
From Parcel 35: 11 minutes
From Kennedy Plaza: 18 minutes
Crossroads Rhode Island
From Parcel 35: 5 minutes
From Kennedy Plaza: 15 minutes
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RIPTA's bus hub may move to Parcel 35. Is that too far from downtown?
