Plea for safer sidewalks in Barrington answered by DOT

Safe Routes to School program bringing new sidewalks, crosswalks to middle school, Primrose Hill

Posted 11/16/17

This week, officials at Barrington Middle School issued this reminder to students: Please bike safely.

Approximately 300 students ride their bikes to the middle school each day. When combined with …

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Plea for safer sidewalks in Barrington answered by DOT

Safe Routes to School program bringing new sidewalks, crosswalks to middle school, Primrose Hill

Posted

Last week, officials at Barrington Middle School issued this reminder to students: Please bike safely.

Approximately 300 students ride their bikes to the middle school each day. When combined with school buses, cars and students on foot, traffic around the school and on nearby roads can be a bit congested. 

"With the number of bikers, cars, walkers, and buses converging at BMS at the same time, safety has to be our number one priority," stated the school's newsletter. 

Officials reminded students about the rules for biking to class, and will be happy to see some of the planned roadway improvements for Middle Highway that are part of the state's Safe Routes to School program. 

The grant program calls for new sidewalks along Middle Highway, new crosswalks near the middle school and Primrose Hill Elementary School, and flashing school zone signs near both schools.

Rhode Island Department of Transportation Spokesman Charles St. Martin said the Safe Routes to School project will also include new bike racks and an improved parent drop-off area at Primrose.

The project is split into two parts — the improvements surrounding Primrose Hill and those near the middle school. The Primrose Hill improvements are estimated to cost $470,000, while the work near the middle school is estimated at $460,000.

Work details

According to Mr. St. Martin, plans for the Primrose Hill School roadway improvements include a new stretch of sidewalk on Middle Highway — it will run along the west side of the road, from Sherwood Lane to Old County Road. Existing sidewalk between Highview Avenue and the St. Andrew's Farm property will be renovated, said Mr. St. Martin.

Those sidewalk improvements are long overdue, said Barrington's Audrey Rogers. 

The longtime resident recently wrote a letter to the editor complaining about the conditions some students face when they walk to school and home again.

"…while the sidewalks in the Maple Avenue area are very attractive and make the area 'walking friendly' (although I'm not sure that people actually walk from store to store), we on the north end of town would like to see 'walking safely' sidewalks for our town's kids who walk to Primrose and the middle school," Ms. Rogers wrote. "When the middle school children get out, they are walking in the gutters and the very unsafe area of so-called 'sidewalks.' 

"The 'non' sidewalks where they even exist are hazardous to walk or bike on not only for children, but for adults with baby strollers who walk in the road because there are no sidewalks…"

In addition to the new and improved sidewalks, the Safe Routes to Schools work near Primrose will also include "pedestrian safety signage" and new crosswalks.

A new sidewalk will also be installed on Middle Highway from Seven Oaks Drive to the intersection with the East Bay Bike Path. 

The project is scheduled to be advertised in the spring and work will take place in the summer of 2018.

Previous improvements

The Safe Routes to School grant paid for previous improvements near Hampden Meadows School — work included a new sidewalk the length of Kent Street, bike lanes on Kent, new sidewalks and crosswalks at the school, and bike racks. 

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.