RESILIENT ROUTE 114

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Rhode Island (RI) State Route 114 is a key north-south regional connector in the state’s East Bay transportation network that serves as the central main street for the communities of Barrington, Bristol, and Warren, providing important connections between commercial, educational, and residential land uses. Currently, several segments of the Route 114 corridor become periodically inundated during coastal flooding events, and these conditions are only expected to worsen in the future with the increasing rise in sea levels and greater intensity of coastal storms .Even temporary disruptions to the use of this state-owned collector road can result in dramatic community impacts, ranging from disconnected neighborhoods for emergency services to the loss of economic production and damage to critical infrastructure. With support from the Rhode Island Division of Statewide Planning – and the Towns of Barrington, Bristol, and Warren – the Resilient Route 114 Plan (“the Plan”) is being developed to: (1) assess the current and future vulnerability of the Route 114 corridor through Barrington, Bristol, and Warren and (2) establish conceptual alternatives for reducing coastal flood risks and improving overall resilience in key areas of vulnerability (AOVs) throughout the region. The project started in the fall of 2023 and will continue into the winter of 2025, with several opportunities for community engagement throughout the planning process.

route114_flooding

Background

Route 114, known as Wampanoag Trail or County Road in Barrington, Main Street in Warren, and Hope Street and Ferry Road in Bristol, is a critical link in the Rhode Island road network that connects the City of Newport on Aquidneck Island to the City of Woonsocket in northern Rhode Island. It is a forty-six-mile-long State-owned highway and was a major north–south artery for its entire length until the arrival of the Interstate Highway System. It is still a major commercial corridor on Aquidneck Island and in northern Rhode Island. 

If the effects of climate change on this major thoroughfare go unaddressed, rising waters and associated issues could sever a critical connection between Aquidneck Island and Providence as well as within the Towns of Bristol, Warren, and Barrington. Bristol County residents rely heavily on Route 114 as one of their main routes to Providence and Kent Counties for commuting purposes. With its size and capacity as a State route, Route 114 is part of the Rhode Island Emergency Route Network, critical for maintaining the safety of residents before and during extreme weather events.

The neighboring towns of Barrington, Warren, and Bristol are characterized by dense residential development, associated schools, medical facilities, churches, small businesses, historic buildings, maritime heritage, extensive natural resources, and diverse demographics and socioeconomic conditions. Inundation modeling in these three communities along Route 114 shows that the extensive low-elevation areas of high-density development are especially vulnerable to flooding associated with sea level rise and storm surge.

Today the Towns of Barrington, Warren, and Bristol are already experiencing the effects of climate change, including sea level rise and increased flooding. There are many areas along Route 114 that are highly vulnerable to flooding due to high tides, storm surge, rain storms, and inundation from sea level rise - all hazards that are expected to worsen in the future.

The primary goal of the Plan is to:

Engage local, regional, and state stakeholders in developing a purposeful and actionable plan that positions the Barrington, Bristol, and Warren communities to maximize the value of the future investments that will be required to make the Route 114 corridor more resilient to future flooding.

Recognizing the growing scale of funding opportunities that are now available for taking action on addressing climate-related impacts, the focus of this plan is to prioritize actions that support long-term community goals and balance flood risk reduction with potential project costs to generate benefits that create value beyond coastal flood resilience.

Project Objectives

The Plan will identify and assess the vulnerability of Route 114 segments in Bristol County (within the Towns of Barrington, Bristol, and Warren) and examine the feasibility of potential solutions and resilience actions. The project tasks respond to the need for vulnerability and resilience planning to identify and assess roadways, road segments, drainage and utility systems, bridges, and culverts vulnerable to coastal flooding from projected sea level rise and storm surge events.

Statewide Planning envisions this project will generate strategies for implementing resilient solutions aimed at addressing key vulnerabilities related to future projected climate-related impacts on Route 114 and surrounding areas. The Plan will be based on the best available science and data, with the end deliverable including:

  • An inventory of vulnerable road segments
  • Assets categorized by their vulnerability and risk to the impacts of climate change, including flooding due to sea level rise and storm surge
  • Risks to public safety and services, including analysis of evacuation routes
  • Estimated value of at-risk assets by time horizon
  • Stakeholder Engagement – Throughout the duration of the project
  • Existing and Future Conditions Assessment – Fall - Winter 2023
  • Vulnerability Assessment – Winter-Spring 2024
  • Alternative Routes Analysis – Spring-Summer 2024
  • Conceptual Alternatives Analysis – Summer-Fall 2024
  • Recommended Action Plan – Fall 2024 - Spring 2025

Rhode Island Division of Statewide Planning:

Roberta Groch
Assistant Chief, AICP
401-222-4720
Email: roberta.groch@doa.ri.gov

Caitlin Greeley
Principal Planner
Phone: (401) 222-2848
Email: Caitlin.greeley@doa.ri.gov

Project Management Team

The Project Management Team (PMT) includes representatives from the following entities:

  • RI Division of Statewide Planning (RIDSP)
  • RI Department of Transportation (RIDOT)
  • RI Public Transit Authority (RIPTA)
  • Town of Barrington, RI
  • Town of Bristol, RI
  • Town of Warren, RI

Consultant Team

Fuss & O’Neill
317 Iron Horse Way #204
Providence, RI 02908

Several materials are being developed as part of this project and will be posted here for review:

The State of Rhode Island, RI Department of Transportation, and other State agencies – as well as the Towns of Bristol, Barrington, and Warren – have undertaken various planning efforts related to resilience and transportation. They have also partnered with universities and State agencies to address some of the pressing issues related to climate change. 

Below are several of the most notable efforts:

Stakeholders and members of the public will have several opportunities to engage in the planning process. Three in-person public workshops will take place throughout the duration of the project to review key project milestones. Each of the three workshops will take place twice, in different locations, to maximize opportunities for public engagement. The workshops will be simulcast on Zoom by the host community and recorded. Links to those recordings may be posted to this page following each workshop. A written summary of each workshop and its outcomes will be created and posted to the project web page as well.

Existing Conditions and Listening Sessions: June 2024 

These workshops introduced the public to the project and presented the existing and future conditions analysis. Attendees interacted with the Project Team to offer their feedback on observations, concerns, and project goals to increase the route’s resilience in the face of existing and future flooding.

Watch recordings from Existing Conditions and Listening Sessions: June 2024: 

Identify and Assess Strategies to Improve Resilience: October 2024 

This workshop will present the findings from the Vulnerability Analysis, and review the outcomes of Workshop 1. Members of the public will be encouraged to share their thoughts on the findings, and ideas for recommended actions. 

Final Resilience Plan and Recommendations: January 2025 

A summary of findings will be presented, including strategies to improve resilience along Route 114. This workshop will give members of the public the opportunity to provide feedback ahead of the finalized plan. 

  • Workshop 5 and 6: Bristol and Warren (specific dates/locations TBD

How to Learn More About this Project

To learn more about Resilient Route 114, reach out to Roberta Groch at roberta.groch@doa.ri.gov