ACHA submitted their conceptual design for a Transit Center in response to a call by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT). The site is located at the southeast corner of the I-95 Exit 1 and RI Route 3 interchange in the town of Hopkinton, about half-a-mile from the Rhode Island-Connecticut border.
The Travel Center will include a 6,000-sf Welcome Center with restrooms, food, convenience shops, bike amenities and tourist information. It will also have a park and ride facility for up to 200 vehicles serving RIPTA and intercity bus riders, as well as tourists and carpoolers. Site development will include up to 10 fueling stations (gasoline, natural gas, electric) and parking for up to 50 bicycles.
RI DOT / Rhode Island
ACHA’s design addresses the needs of visitors travelling along paths at three speeds: slow, medium and fast. The fastest is the driver traveling a shorter distance within the regional area, who comes to refuel, and who needs to exit and re-enter I-95 quickly. Also moving fast is the commuter who will arrive to the hub by car or bicycle, park her vehicle, grab a coffee, and board her bus.
The second also needs to refuel, but traveling a longer distance, wishes to stay a little longer to get a bite to eat, find a perch to have a coffee and send an e-mail or a text, or make a call while taking a stroll. She travels at a medium speed.
Lastly, the slowest traveler, is the hiker or the tourist, who has made her destination the historic and natural sites. She and her friends will hike along the many trails in the area or walk along paths. They may start off at the Welcome Center and return afterwards for lunch.
The Garden Wall is a walking path that connects the refueling area with the Welcome Center, the Travel Plaza, and the Transit Hub. It is covered with a green roof and open to the parking areas and the natural landscape to the other side. At the Transit Hub, where RIPTA and intercity buses are located, the canopy above the path widens to shelter commuters and other bus riders. By integrating the natural landscape into the design and providing convenient locations to access the walking paths, the design encourages exercise and body mobility for each of its visitors.
