Rob Humm is pretty familiar with Massasoit Avenue.

The Barrington Town Council member grew up on Paquin Road, which runs off of Massasoit Avenue, and each day when it was time to walk to the bus stop or home from the bus stop, Humm had to carefully navigate a stretch of Massasoit.

That task was made more challenging, and arguably more dangerous, by the lack of sidewalks on that heavily-traveled roadway. 

“I still run in that area and it’s still dangerous,” Humm said during a Council meeting earlier this month.

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation recognizes the issue and has plans to construct sidewalks that would run the length of Massasoit Avenue, from Woodward Avenue to Arvin Avenue. But that work is not slated to start until 2026.

Members of the Barrington Town Council are hoping to change that. In fact, the group voted unanimously during its meeting on Sept. 11 to send a resolution to the state requesting that the sidewalk project be expedited. The Council is calling on the state to start the work as soon as possible. 

Barrington Town Council President Carl Kustell said Massasoit Avenue is widely known as a dangerous roadway. It is also a main connector for students walking and biking to school each day. Kustell referenced a recent accident that occurred on Massasoit — on Friday, Sept. 1, a Barrington resident told police his son was struck by a vehicle on Massasoit Avenue while the boy was riding his bike home from school. The 11-year-old suffered minor injuries during the accident.

Kustell said local legislators, Sen. Pam Lauria and Rep. Jason Knight, informed him of a process in which the Rhode Island General Assembly can reduce the wait-time for a state construction project. Kustell said the process requires an official resolution from the Town Council requesting the change. 

Humm said he was very pleased to hear that the Council was pushing for the sidewalk project to take place sooner than initially planned. He shared his firsthand experience of walking and jogging along Massasoit Avenue. 

Fellow Councilor Braxton Cloutier agreed with Humm. He said there are a number of roads in town, including Massasoit, that are dangerous for walkers and bicyclists. Cloutier said the improvements planned for Massasoit Avenue are a good place to start. 

Kustell made the motion to approve the resolution. Humm seconded it, and the motion passed 4-0. (Council member Annelise Conway was not present.)

The sidewalk project has been listed in the state’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), with a construction funding estimate of $800,000. 

The construction of a sidewalk along Massasoit Avenue has also been identified as a high priority project in Barrington’s Complete Streets Plan.