Recreation
Bristol Bike Network Plan
For the past several years, the Town of Bristol has been exploring ways to enhance connectivity for both bicyclists and pedestrians between the terminus of the East Bay Bike Path in downtown Bristol and the southern areas of Bristol, Roger Williams University (RWU) and eventually the Mount Hope Bridge.
After public workshops in the Fall of 2020, the project team reconfigured the project to make simple, low-cost improvements to a network of streets in the project area where there is pedestrian and cycling use is already high.
The reconfigured Bristol Bicycle Network Plan now proposes improvements to several streets in downtown Bristol:
- Streets such as High, Wood, Constitution, Church, etc.) that already have adequate sidewalks would receive pavement markings for shared bicycle use, improved crosswalk/stop markings and wayfinding signage.
- The west side of Ferry Road and the portion of Hope Street that do not currently have any sidewalks would receive a multi-use path to accommodate both pedestrians and cyclists.
- All existing on-street parking would remain the same under the proposed plan.
The project design would still meet the goals of the State of Rhode Island’s Bicycle Mobility Plan, one of which is to create regional connections.
The project team has prepared draft plans, drawings, and illustrations to show how these proposals would be implemented and they are available to review on the Design Details page of the project website.
The Town held a series of neighborhood meetings in late January and early February 2021 to present and discuss the updated bicycle project design in more detail with each of the impacted neighborhoods. Meetings were held virtually via Zoom in accordance with the COVID 19 requirements. To watch the neighborhood meeting, please visit the Public Participation page of the project website.
Soil Erosion & Stormwater Management
2016 Feasibility Assessment: Municipal Stormwater Management Program and Enterprise Fund
Study As a follow up to the 2012 Stormwater Utility Feasibility Study also funded by the RIDEM and in partnership with the Town of Bristol and the team of Horsley Witten Group, Amec Foster Wheeler Environment and Infrastructure, Inc. and Blue Sky Engineering (the “Consulting Team”), further development towards establishing a more formal stormwater management program in Bristol and the feasibility of adopting a stormwater management enterprise fund (SMEF) was completed.
A SMEF is a funding mechanism that charges a fee based on the size of impervious area (i.e., parking areas, driveways, building roofs, etc.) on a parcel that generates stormwater runoff.
The study was guided by a Project Management Team consisting of the Town Administrator, directors of the Departments of Community Development, Public Works, Water Pollution Control, Treasury, and a representative from RIDEM. A Steering Committee composed of representatives across key segments of the Bristol community was formed to provide feedback to the Project Management Team and, ultimately, the Town Council. Read the final Feasibility Assessment report here.
2012 Stormwater Utility Feasibility Study
The RIDEM in 2012 funded a preliminary feasibility study for the Town of Bristol to consider adoption of a stormwater utility as a potential funding mechanism for the Town’s stormwater management program.
URI Watershed Watch Program
For the 9th year, the Town of Bristol has partnered with the volunteers from Save Bristol Harbor in cooperation with the URI Watershed Watch Program to monitor the water quality in the Bristol Harbor Watershed and nearby coastal waters. The 2009-2017 Bristol Harbor Monitoring Results and report can be found below.
Bristol Stormwater Management Program
The Rhode Island Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (RIPDES) Program enacted Phase II Stormwater regulations that require operators of municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) to implement programs and practices to minimize pollution from stormwater runoff. The regulations require MS4s within urbanized or densely populated areas, such as the Town of Bristol, to develop storm water management programs and to obtain RIPDES Phase II storm water permits. Bristol’s Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) was first adopted by the Town Council in March 2004 and was amended in September 2008. The goal of the SWMP is to reduce adverse impacts to water quality, aquatic habitat and human health by instituting the use of controls on the unregulated sources of storm water discharges that have the greatest likelihood of causing continued environmental degradation.