After a full week of closures, Newport Public Schools is asking families, students, and neighbors to grab a shovel this weekend and help clear the way for schools to reopen Monday.
Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain issued an appeal Friday asking the community to help shovel sidewalks leading to bus stops and schools. The more sidewalks that are cleared, Jermain said, the safer it will be for students to get to school without having to walk in the road.
“Special priority shoveling is needed around our school bus stops,” Jermain said. “Please help in any which way you are able.”
While the City of Newport’s Rapid Snow Removal operation has reopened more than 85 percent of roadways, sidewalk clearing has lagged behind — particularly in residential neighborhoods where hundreds of students walk to bus stops each morning.
Newport Public Schools operates bus routes serving three schools: Pell Elementary, Thompson Middle School, and Rogers High School. Below is a neighborhood-by-neighborhood guide to where bus stops are located and shoveling help is needed most.
North End and Tonomy Hill
This area has the highest concentration of bus stops across all three schools. Priority locations include:
- Hillside Avenue and West Evans Street
- Ranger Road and West Evans Street
- Eisenhower Road and Truman Road
- Rolling Green Road
- Resolute Road
- 190 Admiral Kalbfus Road
- Festival Field Apartments (90 Girard Avenue)
- Girard Avenue and Leal Terrace
- Coddington Highway and John H. Chafee Boulevard
Broadway corridor
Several stops serve all three schools along Broadway, which is currently an active Rapid Snow Removal zone:
- Broadway and Rhode Island Avenue
- Broadway and Mann Avenue
- Broadway and Cranston Avenue
- Broadway and Ledyard Street
- Broadway and Caleb Earl Street
- Bedlow Avenue and Broadway
- Bliss Road and Broadway
Kay Street, Gibbs Avenue, and Chapel area
- Kay Street and Gibbs Avenue
- Kay Street and Ayrault Street
- Kay Street and Rhode Island Avenue
- Eustis Avenue and Kay Street
- Brinley Street, Bull Street, and Kay Street
- Bliss Road and Gibbs Avenue
- Bliss Road and Kyle Terrace
- Bliss Road and Caswell Avenue
- Bliss Road and Toppa Boulevard
- Braga Park entrance (154 Kay Street)
- Chapel Street and Chapel Terrace
Fifth Ward and Carroll Avenue
- Carroll Avenue and Atlantic Street
- Carroll Avenue and Rose Street
- Carroll Avenue and Ruggles Avenue
- 53 Carroll Avenue
- Harrison Avenue and Roseneath Avenue
- Buchanan Court and Polk Road
- Ruggles Avenue and Weatherly Avenue
- Parker Avenue and Clay Street
Kerry Hill and Warner Street
- Gould Street and Warner Street
- Dartmouth Street and Warner Street
- Tilden Avenue and Warner Street
- Poplar Street and Third Street
- Cypress Street and Third Street
Van Zandt Avenue and Malbone Road
- Bayside Village (143 Third Street)
- Third Street and Van Zandt Avenue
- Prescott Hall Road and Van Zandt Avenue
- Hall Avenue and Van Zandt Avenue
- Malbone Road and Russell Avenue
- Malbone Road and Smith Avenue
- Garfield Street and Malbone Road
- Evarts Street, Madeline Drive, and Malbone Road
Thames Street and Lower Downtown
- Thames Street and Brown & Howard Wharf
- Dearborn Street and Thames Street
- Simmons Street and Thames Street
- Thames Street and Webster Street
- America’s Cup Avenue and Commercial Wharf
Bellevue Avenue and Spring Street
- Bellevue Avenue and Prospect Hill Street
- Bellevue Avenue, Catherine Street, and Church Street
- Narragansett Avenue and Spring Street
- Middleton Avenue and East Bowery Street
- Middleton Avenue and Merton Road
- 90 Brenton Road
Dr. Marcus Wheatland Boulevard
- Wheatland Boulevard and Kingston Avenue
- Burnside Avenue, Collins Street, and Wheatland Boulevard
- Wheatland Boulevard and Edward Street
The schools themselves also need sidewalk clearing: Pell Elementary at 35 Dexter Street, Thompson Middle School at 55 Broadway, and Rogers High School at 15 Wickham Road.
For a list of Newport Public Schools bus stops, click here. For snow-related complaints or requests, use the ReportIt app at Newport.gov.
The City of Newport announced Friday that City Hall, trash collection, and public meetings will all resume Monday. The city’s Rapid Snow Removal operation will continue through the weekend with crews working 24/7 across the city.