New sidewalks are coming to Hampden Meadows … but not for a few years. 

A spokesman for the Rhode Island Department of Transportation said the state has two sidewalk projects planned for the Hampden Meadows section of Barrington. One project will bring a new sidewalk to Massasoit Avenue, from Woodward Avenue to Arvin Avenue. The other project is to construct a new sidewalk on New Meadow Road, from Christine Drive to Deep Meadow Road.

“The cost for each project is listed as approximately $800,000 and is programmed in the STIP for design work to begin in 2026,” said Charles St. Martin, of the Rhode Island DOT. The STIP is the State Transportation Improvement Program. 

Some Hampden Meadows residents have been pleading for a new sidewalk on Massasoit Avenue, as the road serves as a key cut-through from New Meadow Road to County Road (Route 114). It is also a main artery for students commuting on foot or by bicycle to and from local schools each day. 

Bronwyn Ellis lives on a side street off Massasoit Avenue and has witnessed the dangerous conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists. In a recent letter to the editor, Ellis asks readers to take a drive down Massasoit Avenue and notice how most cars exceed the 25 miles per hour speed limit, and how there is hardly any shoulder to a long section of the roadway. 

“Would you want to have your children walk down that road, ride a bike down that road?” Ellis wrote. 

In addition, Ellis wrote that Barrington residents have already gathered signatures and appealed to the state to take immediate action. She wrote that the current timeline for the project — starting sometime in 2026 and finishing by 2029 — is not acceptable.

“I ask that this project be taken more seriously, that we set this in motion immediately and move the date for construction to within the next year,” Ellis wrote. “Last year a student biking home from school was hit by a car, thankfully they walked away with just a few scrapes, the state and town may not be as lucky next time.”

According to the DOT’s St. Martin, the town is expected to take the lead on the Massasoit Avenue and New Meadow Road sidewalk projects, “through a sub-recipient agreement with RIDOT.” 

According to information posted on the DOT website, the Barrington Town Council has already asked the state to expedite the Massasoit Avenue sidewalk project.