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About Providence |
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2006 EPpy Winner -- Best multimedia Providence, R.I., Partly cloudy 30° |
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8.14.2001
Another walk in the park • Providence will be closer to its goal of river walks and parks from Waterplace to India Point Park when a stretch along the South Water Street side of the Providence River is complete next month. BY D. MORGAN McVICAR Journal Staff Writer While not nearly as ambitious in scope or design as the walks, bridges, and parks that adorn the rivers from Waterplace Park to Memorial Park, the new riverfront park will have an identity all its own and some features absent in the older walks. The new expanse also inches the city closer to the ultimate goal of river walks and parks that stretch from Waterplace to India Point Park. And it raises the possibility of an expanded WaterFire Providence, although Barnaby Evans, creator of the popular attraction that combines water, fire and music, says he may come up with something entirely different for the new space to complement a WaterFire evening. Work began on the new walks and park in the spring of 1999, with the first, and most daunting, task being the reconstruction of the river walls. Long fallen into disrepair, the walls consisted of broken rocks and holes in the bank that were causing sediment to wash into the river, according to the project's design engineer, Lambri Zerva, of the state Department of Transportation. DOT workers first drove piles into the subsurface, then poured concrete foundations on the piles and, finally, built the stone walls atop the foundations. "The challenge was really the removal of the old river walls and replacing them and the foundations," says David Freeman, of Maguire Group Inc., the senior project manager. "We initially tried to save them, but they turned out to be so far gone it was just easier to replace them." Drivers crossing the river on Route 195 West have been able to observe the progress, seemingly stone by stone, over the past 27 months. It is, in fact, the relocation of the 195 bridge that enabled the latest river-walk installment. YEARS AGO, when Providence's historic waterfront was a distant memory, architect William D. Warner developed a master plan for uncovering the city's three paved-over rivers and returning public access to the water. Warner's vision stretched from what is now Waterplace Park to India Point Park, which in the 1950s, with the coming of the interstate, had been divorced from Fox Point. "It has always been the intention to restore the waterfront from Crawford Street south," says Glen Fontecchio, an architect in Warner's Exeter-based firm. But, he says, that wasn't part of the original river-relocation project. When state and federal officials began to contemplate rebuilding the Route 195 bridge, Warner's office submitted a proposal calling for its relocation south of the hurricane barrier, rather than adjacent to the current bridge, as other proposals suggested. " 'If we're going to rebuild it,' " Fontecchio recalls saying, " 'let's get it out of the old harbor area -- let's restore the rivers.' And working with Maguire, we developed how the roads might route and how we could utilize freeing the land to open up the waterfront further." The Warner-Maguire proposal also calls for river walks and parks on the west side of the Providence River, leading to the old Narragansett Electric plant. Maguire's Freeman says he hopes construction on that project will begin next spring. THE COST of the project that is nearing completion is about $4.5 million. It is being covered by the federal government, as part of the 195-relocation project -- as will be the case with the future expansions of walks and parks on both sides of the river after the 195 bridge has been removed. "We have incorporated a few new design treatments in the area," Fontecchio says of the three-tenths-mile park. "It's a little less formal," he says, than the previously built walks and parks. "We wanted to provide canoe access, so there's a canoe ramp -- a sloped walk that allows you to easily walk down and launch a canoe. And we took advantage of the project to create a restored wetland." Grasses that were once native to the river have been reintroduced and are now thriving. A baby swan was hatched amid them this year, and fish, too, are living among the reeds. The new park will feature two boardwalks: a 400-foot section opposite Doubloon Street and a 100-foot section opposite Planet Street. They will be made of Pau Lope, a hardwood from South America. "It's an incredibly durable tropical hardwood that is farmed -- no strip-foresting," says Fontecchio. "It's superior to teak and mahogany. Most woods require chemical treatment to preserve them outdoors -- this requires no chemical additive." The boardwalks will have railings with iron posts and stainless-steel cables. The river walks, intended to be used by bikers, joggers, and strollers, will be concrete, with brick insets to mark the historic gangways that existed along the stretch. Two gazebos are under construction. One, like some of the existing ones, will have panels that document in words and pictures the history of the area, which was once the hub of Providence's shipping trade. The park will include trees and shrubs, a grassy area for lolling, bicycle racks, and two lanes on South Water Street, with parking on both sides. There will also be the signature river-walk lampposts. "The intent is that it is the Providence River - walk light," says Fontecchio. "So when you see that light, you know you're approaching the Providence River walk." VAHE SAHAKIAN, the project's resident engineer, says he has been so busy keeping the work on schedule that he hasn't stopped to think about the aesthetics of what he is creating. But last week he showed it off and said, "You hear so much about WaterFire -- once they open this up, people will really appreciate the area." WaterFire 's Evans says that on Sept. 1, a Saturday, he will add three fires south of the Crawford Street Bridge. They will raise the number of pyres to 100 -- and will mark the 100th lighting of WaterFire. "There are challenges to expanding it farther," Evans says. "We are now stretched to the extent of our capacity. I'm sort of waiting to see what the park is like, and we might design something quite different for that area. "I haven't come up with a solution yet. It will be a surprise to me, too." Two of the people who will be among the happiest to see the project completed are Tony Lucci, chef and co-owner of Amicus Restaurant, and Neath Pal, chef-owner of Neath's. Both restaurants are on South Water Street, and both have seen business plummet during the construction. "For a long time," says Lucci, "there weren't even any streetlights on the road. It was dark and not inviting. And people are afraid to go down a road where there's construction. "It will definitely make it more aesthetically pleasing. There will be things to look at, so outdoor seating is more of an option. There will be more parking, too, so that's a plus." Neath Pal says: "I'm anxiously awaiting its finish. The biggest thing is once it's over it's going to be a wonderful addition to the city and for us to enjoy." 
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