An investigation by the Providence Journal this week revealed that the Washington Bridge has had structural problems for years – and that the state knew about it as long ago as 2014. Providence Journal reporter Patrick Anderson joins us to talk about what he found. Also, RIPTA is in need of a new leader now that CEO Scott Avedisian has stepped down. We hear from transit advocates about their vision for the agency, and who they’d like to see take the helm. And while many artists are concerned about the growing threat of artificial intelligence, Griffin Smith is teaching students at RISD how to work with AI and not run from it. That and more on this week’s show.
RIPTA
Posted inLocal, Politics, Transportation
RIPTA board approves $67K severance for ex-CEO Scott Avedisian
Scott Avedisian’s exit as CEO of RIPTA became official Tuesday when the public transit agency’s board unanimously approved a severance agreement that includes a payment of $67,800. The payment consists of $45,500 for 13 weeks of wages and $22,400 for accrued vacation time. Avedisian, who did not attend the meeting, has been RIPTA’s CEO since […]
Posted inLocal, Politics, TGIF
Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for April 12, 2024
If someone was selling kits to build your own ark, they could clean up (before we all float away). You can follow me through the week on threads and what we used to call the twitters. Here we go. *** Want to get my column in your inbox every Friday? Just sign up right here. […]
Posted inLocal, Politics, Transportation
Avedisian resigns while facing charge in Warwick crash
Rhode Island Public Transit Authority CEO Scott Avedisian submitted his resignation Thursday, about two weeks after being involved in a chain-reaction car crash at a McDonald’s drive-thru in Warwick. In a letter to Gov. Dan McKee, Avedisian claimed credit for a series of improvements at RIPTA, including a downtown transit connector, funding the transit agency’s […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Local, Politics
Avedisian pleads not guilty to charge of leaving the scene
RIPTA CEO Scott Avedisian pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a charge of leaving the scene of an accident, and he declined to comment on the episode that led to the charge. Avedisian arrived at the Kent County Courthouse with his lawyer, former House Speaker John Harwood, and didn’t respond to questions from reporters before and […]
Posted inLabor, Local, Transportation
RIPTA board member Pat Crowley on how the agency can avoid proposed service cuts
Rhode Island’s public transit authority, RIPTA, has been making headlines lately. Proposed service cuts, angry riders, an embattled CEO, and debate over where to locate Providence’s central bus hub.
Posted inArts And Culture, The Weekly Catch, Transportation
RIPTA CEO on driver raises and possible service cuts, Tidewater Landing’s mounting price tag, and more
This week, RIPTA’s board voted to raise wages for drivers, a move the agency hopes will stave off possible service cuts. We talk with RIPTA CEO Scott Avedisian. Also, the Tidewater Landing soccer stadium deal will cost Rhode Islanders tens of millions more than originally planned. Boston Globe reporter Brian Amaral explains how much more taxpayers are on the hook for and why. Plus, on Artscape this week: actor Kali Reis, co-star of the latest season of HBO’s “True Detective.” It’s the third acting role for Reis, a former boxing world champion who was born in Providence and grew up in East Providence. That and more coming up on this episode of The Weekly Catch.
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk, Transportation
Here’s what bus riders think of RIPTA’s proposed service cuts
Eighteen-year-old Angela Sarmiento is a regular on RIPTA bus 18. She uses it to get from her home in Cranston to school, or to her job at a retirement home on the East Side of Providence. She says it’s pretty reliable. “It comes on time. It’s never late,” she said. But Sarmiento’s commute might get […]
Posted inLocal, Political Roundtable, Politics
RI Senate Majority Leader Ryan Pearson on Washington Bridge, McKee’s budget, RIPTA and more
Legislative Oversight committees plan to hold a joint hearing Monday to examine the crisis involving the Washington Bridge. For now, motorists continue to wrestle with congested traffic at peak times and the ripple effect sometimes extends beyond Interstate 195 into the streets of Providence, East Providence and other communities. If the westbound Washington Bridge needs […]
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk, Politics, Transportation
Lessons from Rhode Island’s free ferry experiment
The Bristol-to-Providence free ferry was a short-lived experiment that started on Dec. 21 as an emergency response to the Washington Bridge closure. But it was dropped on Jan. 19 because of low ridership and steep costs. Does that mean commuter ferry service in the Ocean State is a lost cause, or could it play some […]