PROVIDENCE � Relocating two Rhode Island Public Transit Authority bus shelters and bus stops out of Kennedy Plaza could be the first signs of life � albeit small � for the grand vision to transform downtown�s...

PROVIDENCE � Relocating two Rhode Island Public Transit Authority bus shelters and bus stops out of Kennedy Plaza could be the first signs of life � albeit small � for the grand vision to transform downtown�s center into a destination venue and active public square.

Planners for the big picture unveiled ambitious sketches 10 months ago to potential investors.

The poster boards showed a seamless merge of the current bus hub with Burnside Park, another park in front of the Providence Biltmore hotel and the Bank of America City Center skating rink. The open space attractions might include a caf�, open market, carousel and steps around the current Burnside Park water fountain that could be used for parties, weddings and music performances. The return of streetcars is also in the plans.

Grunt work planning, negotiations and fundraising for the $20-million proposal have dominated much of the lapse.

�It�s an ongoing thing,� said Cliff Wood, executive director of the Downtown Providence Park Conservancy, an arm of the Providence Foundation that is overseeing the multi-phase project.

He continued, �All that density in the middle of the plaza is too much.�

The city plans to begin its first investment in the project in late spring, early summer. Mayor Angel Taveras has allocated about $2 million of an $8-million federal grant Providence has for the third phase of its downtown circulator project, which is aimed at improving traffic flow in the city for vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles and public transit.

Besides the plaza, the third phase continues renovations to La Salle Square in front of the Hasbro headquarters and by the Dunkin� Donuts Center; and Emmett Square by the Omni Providence Hotel, formerly the Westin. Previous phases improved, among others, Cathedral Square and reconfigured Weybosset Street.

Bonnie Nickerson, the city�s director of long-term planning at the Department of Planning and Development, says the construction plans for phase three aren�t complete but should go out to bid soon. The changes could include removing the center bus lanes, and then leveling the space before resurfacing it.

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Moving two of Kennedy Plaza�s bus shelters and bus berths will be part of those plans, she said. The berths, said Nickerson, are where buses pull in and stop to pick up passengers. Picking up the oversize shelters and transporting them to the proposed location is estimated to cost about $40,000 to $50,000.

The city is proposing to move the two �eastern-most shelters� to a sidewalk of vacant land owned by the Providence Redevelopment Agency, an arm of the city�s Department of Planning and Development, on Exchange Street. The triangle-shaped, grass area next to the downtown post office is bordered by Exchange Terrace, Exchange Street and Memorial Boulevard.

The temporary art that sits on it probably will not affect the move because the shelters are proposed for the sidewalk, said Wood, who is also a board member for the Redevelopment Agency.

The agency planned to vote on the relocation at its meeting Thursday afternoon, but lacked a quorum to do so. The matter has been moved to its March 13 meeting.

Wood said changes to Burnside Park to make it �a better connection between the new plaza and train station� will occur simultaneously. The improvements include lighting and handicap accessible pathways. The work is being financed with a $395,000 grant from the Champlin Foundations.

RIPTA planning manager Amy Pettine says the authority is still negotiating with the city and others about plans for Kennedy Plaza � which currently has four bus lanes between Fulton and Washington streets. There are 16 bus stops in and around the plaza, which was renamed after the late President John F. Kennedy and has seen many transformations since being built in 1846.

Because of the plaza proposal, RIPTA announced in December that it was expanding its operational review to study two potential downtown bus hubs. The analysis is looking at how shifting bus routes to Providence Station and to the Garrahy Judicial Complex would affect service and the agency�s finances.

Pettine emphasized then that, �It doesn�t mean we�re abandoning Kennedy Plaza.�

Changes as a result of the analysis, RIPTA planners say, could take two years. If fully realized, the Kennedy Plaza plans are estimated to take four years.