Ministerial Road, a two lane, designated state scenic byway in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, is 6.4 miles long and dates back to the 17th century. Bordered by abundant rhododendron, mountain laurel, tree canopy and stone walls, it is mentioned for its beauty in the diaries of a number of 18th and 19th century citizens. It’s adjacent to one of the top five biologically diverse wetlands in Rhode Island and a 41 acre Late Archaic Settlement listed in the National Register. It courses by three ponds, two scout camps, an elementary school, several recreational sites, and more than 150 residences.
More than twenty years ago, with the roadbed seriously deteriorated, the Town of South Kingstown asked the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) to repave the road. RIDOT responded with plans for significant widening, straightening, and flattening of the road based on national engineering safety standards. Citizens opposed the plan because it would destroy the scenic character, endanger sensitive environmental areas, and promote unsafe conditions by encouraging more traffic at higher speeds.
The Ministerial Road Preservation Association (MRPA), a statewide grassroots citizens group was formed in 1991 to address these concerns and to focus on creative solutions as a way of breaking the long-standing deadlock. Later that year U.S. Senator John Chafee introduced an amendment to ISTEA (the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act) that essentially froze any federal funds from being used for Ministerial Road until the Town and the State agreed on a final design plan.
With the passage of ISTEA, RIDOT had made some design exceptions to its original plans and focused on landscaping and revegetation, but the engineering design was basically the same. It was still found to be devastating to the scenic qualities of the road, likely to induce higher driving speeds, and unacceptable to the Town.
In 1993, MRPA privately raised the funds to hire the renowned firm of Hellmuth, Obata, & Kassabaum (HOK) to work with them to develop an alternative design and traffic management plan specific to Ministerial Road, which would keep the road safe, preserve its scenic quality and be acceptable to the Town and State.
With HOK’s assistance, MRPA looked at what makes the road scenic, travel use, safety and accident history, recreational qualities, land use, and community acceptability. Design standards were derived based on these considerations.
Endorsed by the town government as a safe and cost-effective alternative, the MRPA plan took a comprehensive approach calling for flexible design standards and simple traffic management and traffic calming measures. This approach addressed safety without altering the character of the road.
The design plan also received several prestigious awards,. MRPA began to receive national attention for its citizens based efforts and recognition as a potential national test case for flexible design policy. This resulted in Senator Chafee sponsoring a U.S. Department of Transportation Grant to MRPA to further explore design alternatives.
The group and its consultants were invited to Washington, D.C. to present its alternative plan to members of the Federal Highway Administration. Ministerial Road was named by Scenic America to its 1994 List of the Ten Most Endangered Scenic Byways in America and in 1995 received their Stafford Award for scenic conservation efforts.
RIDOT has still not accepted the MRPA design plan as the long-term solution for Ministerial Road. However, in late 1995, the state did agree to a much needed simple repaving as an interim measure. Some of the traffic controls requested in the MRPA plan were included in the project. MRPA still hopes to work with the Town to appeal to the State to have the remaining traffic calming measures included someday.
The community continues to advocate for the acceptance of the design policy long-term, and the implementation of all of its proposed design elements and traffic calming measures. Ministerial Road can then truly serve as a test case and have a track record which communities and transportation officials from around the country can look to.
While a long-term solution to the more than twenty year old Ministerial Road saga remains to be worked out, much progress has been made. This small 6.4 mile road has positively contributed to the national debate on how to save our scenic and historic roads while so far retaining the qualities that have made it so special to generations of Rhode Islanders.
MRPA continues to be active, focusing on preservation needs associated with use of the road including; utility work, development issues, litter control, maintenance issues, and public awareness and education.
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