Gondola on the Providence River in Providence, Rhode Island

The Providence River is a

tidal river A tidal river is a river whose flow and level are influenced by tides. A section of a larger river affected by the tides is a tidal reach, but it may sometimes be considered a tidal river if it has been given a separate name. Generally, tidal ri ...

in the U.S. state of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

. It flows approximately 8 miles (13 km). There are no dams along the river's length, although the

Fox Point Hurricane Barrier The Fox Point Hurricane Barrier is a long tidal flood barrier spanning the Providence River in Providence, Rhode Island, located upstream from Fox Point. It was constructed between 1960 and 1966 to protect the low-lying downtown area of the city ...

is located south of downtown to protect the city of

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

from damaging tidal floods. The southern part of the river has been

dredged Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...

at a cost of $65 million in federal and state funds to benefit nearby marinas and commercial shipping interests. Downtown_Providence_Rhode_Island_2008

The Dutch called the Providence River the ''Nassau River''. It was the northeastern limit of Dutch claims in the colonial era, owing to

Adriaen Block Adriaen (Arjan) Block (c. 1567 – buried April 27, 1627) was a Dutch private trader, privateer, and ship's captain who is best known for exploring the coastal and river valley areas between present-day New Jersey and Massachusetts during four v ...

's exploration of Narragansett Bay, from 1614 until the Hartford Treaty of 1650. It can, therefore, be regarded as the original boundary between the English

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

colonies and the Dutch colony of

New Netherland New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the East Coast of the United States, east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territor ...

Course

The river is formed by the confluence of the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck rivers in downtown Providence. One half mile downstream, it is joined from the east by the

Seekonk River The Seekonk River is a tidal extension of the Providence River in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately 8 km (5 mi). The name may be derived from an Algonquian word for skunk, or for black goose. The river is home to t ...

and continues south. The cities of Providence, Cranston, and

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

lie to the west of the river, while the city of East Providence and the town of Barrington lie to the east. At the narrows between Conimicut Point, in Warwick to the west and Nayatt Point in Barrington to the east, the

Conimicut Shoal Lighthouse Conimicut Light, built in 1883, is a historic sparkplug lighthouse in Warwick, Rhode Island. The lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The lighthouse is said to be in "relatively good condition." The lighthous ...

marks the entrance to the river from

Narragansett Bay Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering , of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. Sma ...

Recreation

Since the late 1990s, the Providence River has been known for

gondola The gondola (, ; vec, góndoła ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull, ...

rides, which can be enjoyed by tourists and locals daily in season. Providence's three gondolas and one

sandolo upright 2, Sandolo in Canal Grande The sandolo is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat designed for the generally shallow waters of the Venetian Lagoon. The Italian plural is sandoli. Description A sandolo is less ornate and of a si ...

are hand made in Italy

Crossings

Point_Street_Bridge_viewed_from_the_south_-_Providence,_RI

Below is a list of all crossings over the Providence River. The list starts at the headwaters and goes downstream. *Providence **Washington Place **College Street **

Crawford Street Crawford Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster, London. The street contains two grade II listed public houses. Location The street runs from the junction of Homer Row and Crawford Place in the west to the ...

**Old Interstate 195 **

Michael S. Van Leesten Memorial Bridge The Michael S. Van Leesten Memorial Bridge is a footbridge crossing the Providence River located in the city of Providence, Rhode Island. The bridge connects Providence's Fox Point neighborhood to the city's Jewelry District. Originally known as ...

Point Street Bridge The Point Street Bridge is a movable bridge that crosses the Providence River in Providence, Rhode Island, carrying Point Street from the Jewelry District to Wickenden Street at the base of College Hill. History The first bridge at this site ...

** Providence River Bridge (

I-195 Interstate 195 (I-195) is the designation for the following Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to I-95: *Interstate 195 (District of Columbia), a future designation for the north–south portion of I-395 from the Sout ...

)

Tributaries

Pawtuxet River The Pawtuxet River, also known as the Pawtuxet River Main Stem and the Lower Pawtuxet, is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, ac ...

Moshassuck River The Moshassuck River is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 from the town of Lincoln to the city of Provide ...

Woonasquatucket River The Woonasquatucket River (pronounced , Algonquian for "where the salt water ends") is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe N ...

References

External links