Study to investigate traffic on Aquidneck Island

MIDDLETOWN, R.I.—It doesn’t matter if you’re a commuter, a tourist or a shopper, if you come on East Main Road or over the Newport Bridge, Aquidneck Island can be a miserable place to get around.

“This being an old city, it wasn’t laid out for cars, so it’s tricky” said Jeff Marlowe, business owner.

State officials know its an issue and on Wednesday announced a $500,000 study to make the flow of people and goods a little smoother.

“The infrastructure is a critical underpinning for the economy. You cannot have a growing, smoothly functioning economy if you don’t have an infrastructure that is up to date and meets the needs,“ said Gov. Don Carcieri.

Backed up cars can be a drag on tourism.

“You don’t really want to drive up and down these streets,“ said Diana Doherty, of Reading, Mass.

Sometimes the traffic in Newport is so bad in Newport, Marlowe said it’s good for business.

“Once they’re here it works out in our favor … where else are they going to go until the traffic lets up,“ he said.

Advocates said it’s an opportunity to include bikes, scooters and foot traffic into the master plan.

“I think it’s huge. I think for the first time on Aquidneck Island we’re actually looking at being able to think about transportation choices,“ said Chris Wilhite of the Sierra Club.

The plan is scheduled to be completed in spring of 2011.