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East Side Trolley Tunnel
The East Side Trolley Tunnel, also known as the East Side Transit Tunnel or the College Hill Tunnel, is a bi-directional tunnel in Providence, Rhode Island, originally built for trolley use in 1914, and now used for public transit buses. The East Side Trolley Tunnel could be considered the first bus rapid transit link in North America, because of its exclusive and continuous bus use since 1948. Description The tunnel runs for under College Hill on Providence's East Side, with its east portal at Thayer Street, the busy commercial district near Brown University, leading to its west portal at North Main Street near the Rhode Island School of Design. It provides a gentler 4% to 5% grade compared to the steeper 10% grade of the city streets above it, while also allowing public-transit vehicles to bypass traffic and stoplights. The tunnel traverses a drop in elevation from its east portal to its west portal. The tunnel is reserved exclusively for buses—currently the RIPTA routes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thayer Street
Thayer Street in Providence, Rhode Island is a popular destination for students of the area's nearby schools of Brown University, Moses Brown School, Hope High School, Wheeler School, RISD, Providence College, Johnson & Wales University, and Rhode Island College. History Thayer was initially designated in 1799 as Cross Street. In 1823, the street's name was changed to Thayer after Dr. Williams Thayer, great-great-grandson of Roger Williams. Neighborhood information Thayer Street is located in the College Hill neighborhood on the East Side of Providence. Some Brown University student housing and classroom buildings are on Thayer Street. Similar to Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Nassau Street in Princeton, New Jersey, and Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California, Thayer Street hosts independent shops and restaurants that serve as a communal center for students and locals. While Harvard Square has long been dominated by chain restaurants and stores, many b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Skateboard
A skateboard is a type of sports equipment used for skateboarding. They are usually made of a specially designed 7-8 ply maple plywood deck and polyurethane wheels attached to the underside by a pair of skateboarding trucks. The skateboarder moves by pushing with one foot while the other foot remains balanced on the board, or by pumping one's legs in structures such as a bowl or half pipe. A skateboard can also be used by simply standing on the deck while on a downward slope and allowing gravity to propel the board and rider. If the rider's leading foot is their right foot, they are said to ride "goofy". The two main types of skateboards are the longboard and the shortboard. The shape of the board is also important: the skateboard must be concaved to perform tricks. History Skateboarding started in California in the 1950s. The first skateboards were made from roller skates attached to a board. Skateboarding gained in popularity because of surfing: in fact, skateboarding ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buildings And Structures In Providence, Rhode Island
A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, and have been adapted throughout history for a wide number of factors, from building materials available, to weather conditions, land prices, ground conditions, specific uses, prestige, and aesthetic reasons. To better understand the term ''building'' compare the list of nonbuilding structures. Buildings serve several societal needs – primarily as shelter from weather, security, living space, privacy, to store belongings, and to comfortably live and work. A building as a shelter represents a physical division of the human habitat (a place of comfort and safety) and the ''outside'' (a place that at times may be harsh and harmful). Ever since the first cave paintings, buildings have also become objects or canvasses of much artist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Transportation In Providence, Rhode Island
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations. Transport enables human trade, which is essential for the development of civilizations. Transport infrastructure consists of both fixed installations, including roads, railways, airways, waterways, canals, and pipelines, and terminals such as airports, railway stations, bus stations, warehouses, trucking terminals, refueling depots (including fueling docks and fuel stations), and seaports. Terminals may be used both for interchange of passengers and cargo and for maintenance. Means of transport are any of the different kinds of transport facilities used to carry people or cargo. They may include vehicles, riding animals, and pack animals. Vehicles may inclu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Railroad Tunnels In Rhode Island
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prepared flat surface, rail vehicles (rolling stock) are directionally guided by the tracks on which they run. Tracks usually consist of steel rails, installed on sleepers (ties) set in ballast, on which the rolling stock, usually fitted with metal wheels, moves. Other variations are also possible, such as "slab track", in which the rails are fastened to a concrete foundation resting on a prepared subsurface. Rolling stock in a rail transport system generally encounters lower frictional resistance than rubber-tyred road vehicles, so passenger and freight cars (carriages and wagons) can be coupled into longer trains. The operation is carried out by a railway company, providing transport between train stations or freight customer facili ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bus Rapid Transit In Rhode Island
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for charter purposes, or through private ownership. Although the average bus carries between 30 and 100 passengers, some buses have a capacity of up to 300 passengers. The most common type is the single-deck rigid bus, with double-decker and articulated buses carrying larger loads, and midibuses and minibuses carrying smaller loads. Coaches are used for longer-distance services. Many types of buses, such as city transit buses and inter-city coaches, charge a fare. Other types, such as elementary or secondary school buses or shuttle buses within a post-secondary education campus, are free. In many jurisdictions, bus drivers require a special large vehicle licence above and beyond a regular driving licence. Buses may be used for scheduled ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
RIPTA
The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) provides public transportation, primarily buses, in the state of Rhode Island. The main hub of the RIPTA system is Kennedy Plaza, a large bus terminal in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. In 2020 the authority served an average of 36,776 people a day, in 36 out of 39 Rhode Island communities. History RIPTA was created in 1964 by the Rhode Island General Assembly to supervise what had been previously a system of privately run bus and trolley systems. RIPTA began operating buses on July 1, 1966, inheriting services provided previously by the United Transit Company. Ridership had decreased in Rhode Island after the construction of the Interstate Highway System, and although it has never returned to 1940s levels, RIPTA's ridership has increased slightly over the years as services have been expanded and improved upon. Routes RIPTA operates services in several categories. All services are operated from two garages: in Providence at 26 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jack Reed (Rhode Island Politician)
John Francis Reed (born November 12, 1949) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Rhode Island, a seat he was first elected to in United States Senate election in Rhode Island, 1996, 1996. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 1991 to 1997. Reed graduated from the United States Military Academy and Harvard University, serving in the United States Army, U.S. Army as an active officer from 1971 to 1979. He is the dean of United States congressional delegations from Rhode Island, Rhode Island's congressional delegation. Early life, education and career Reed was born in Cranston, Rhode Island, the son of Mary Louise ( Monahan) and Joseph Anthony Reed. Reed graduated from La Salle Academy, Providence, La Salle Academy and the United States Military Academy at West Poi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trackless Trolley
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trolleyDunbar, Charles S. (1967). ''Buses, Trolleys & Trams''. Paul Hamlyn Ltd. (UK). Republished 2004 with or 9780753709702.) is an electric bus that draws power from dual overhead wires (generally suspended from roadside posts) using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires, and two trolley poles, are required to complete the electrical circuit. This differs from a tram or streetcar, which normally uses the track as the return path, needing only one wire and one pole (or pantograph). They are also distinct from other kinds of electric buses, which usually rely on batteries. Power is most commonly supplied as 600-volt direct current, but there are exceptions. Currently, around 300 trolleybus systems are in operation, in cities and towns in 4 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Providence Cable Tramway Company
The Providence Cable Tramway Company built and operated a cable car line in Providence, Rhode Island. It was incorporated in 1884 and eventually absorbed into the Union Railroad. Construction began in late 1888 and revenue service began on January 1, 1890. The line provided access between the East Side and Market Square: prior to this point, College Hill was too steep for other transit systems. The cable line only ran until 1895, at which point the line was electrified. Various underground counterweight systems were used to help train cars ascent the steep hill with the assistance of cars descending it. This system remained in use until 1915, at which point the East Side Trolley Tunnel, running from South Main Street to Thayer Street was opened. That tunnel provided a small enough grade Grade most commonly refers to: * Grade (education), a measurement of a student's performance * Grade, the number of the year a student has reached in a given educational stage * Grade (slope), th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cable Car (railway)
A cable car (usually known as a cable tram outside North America) is a type of cable railway used for Public transport, mass transit in which rail cars are hauled by a continuously moving Wire rope, cable running at a constant speed. Individual cars stop and start by releasing and gripping this cable as required. Cable cars are distinct from funiculars, where the cars are permanently attached to the cable. History The first cable-operated railway, employing a moving rope that could be picked up or released by a grip on the cars was the Fawdon Wagonway in 1826, a colliery railway line. The London and Blackwall Railway, which opened for passengers in east London, England, in 1840 used such a system. The rope available at the time proved too susceptible to wear and the system was abandoned in favour of steam locomotives after eight years. In America, the first cable car installation in operation probably was the IRT Ninth Avenue Line, West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kennedy Plaza
Kennedy Plaza, formerly Exchange Place, Exchange Terrace, or City Hall Park, is a rectangular public square that occupies a central portion of Downtown Providence, Rhode Island. Since the mid 19th century, the plaza has served as a civic and transportation hub. Today, Kennedy Plaza is bounded by Exchange Street to the northeast, Fulton Street to the southeast, Dorrance Street to the southwest, and Washington Street to the northwest. The plaza's northeastern and southwestern extremities are capped by three civic structures: City Hall, the Federal Building, and the John O. Pastore Federal Building. To the southeast of the plaza is a row of skyscrapers which comprise the central structures of the city's skyline. Northeast of the plaza are Burnside Park and Union Station. In 2003, Kennedy Plaza was described by architectural historian Wm. McKenzie Woodward as " e city's most constantly reworked space ... hichis now virtually a large al fresco bus station. ... Ultimately transcendin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
