City installing stop sign at Spring Street and Bowery Street/Young Street due to safety concerns (via Google Maps)

The city will install a new stop sign Thursday at the intersection of Spring Street and Bowery Street/Young Street, creating a three-way stop intersection.

The Newport Police Department announced the change Wednesday in a press release, saying the decision was based on a review and recommendation by the city’s Interdepartmental Traffic Committee. The review found “an exceptional amount of motor vehicle accidents due to poor sight line issues on Young Street and Bowery Street towards Spring Street because of building structures in that area.”

To help drivers adjust to the change, the city will deploy a portable message board notification trailer warning of the new stop sign. The Newport Police Department will conduct increased traffic enforcement in the area and provide a month-long warning phase for any observed violations before issuing citations.

Lt. Joseph C. Carroll, the department’s public information officer, urged motorists to “pay attention and use caution driving in this area as motorists get accustomed to the new stop signs.”

The intersection change takes effect Thursday, Sept. 4.

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...