Providence City Councilor Jill Davidson

05/20/2026

Hi Ward 2 neighbors! As you may have noticed, extremely large pieces of drainpipe have appeared at the end of Blackstone Boulevard recently. I wanted to give you an update on what’s happening and why.

The southern end of Blackstone Boulevard suffers from severe, localized flooding during intense rain events. The stormwater sewer main on Blackstone Boulevard is undersized for these storms, also causing backups on the stormwater mains on Elton and Irving. A February 2026 study by Horsley Witten Group confirmed this is caused by local underground infrastructure bottleneck and the lack of structures upslope to catch the rainwater.  

To address this issue, the City’s contractor, D’Ambra Construction, has begun performing stormwater sewer system upgrades and flood mitigation work along Blackstone Boulevard (near the intersections of Elton Street and Irving Avenue) and at catch basin locations along Elton Street, Irving Avenue and Wayland Avenue.

Construction will take place Monday through Friday, from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm with a completion deadline of August 14, 2026.

While work is underway, there may be temporary lane shifts, road closures, and detours on Blackstone Boulevard and surrounding side streets. Access for residents will be maintained throughout.

Questions? Please reach out to me or the Mayor’s Center for City Services (MCCS) by dialing 3-1-1 from within Providence or by calling 401.421.2489. The MCCS operates Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm (4:00 pm closing time in July and August).

05/04/2026

05/02/2026

Ward 2, heads up for Sunday, May 3: no parking on Blackstone Boulevard 5 am to noon so the Rhode Races Marathon can come through. The Boulevard will be open to auto traffic. Cheer on the runners and then come by the Ward 2 Celebration at 2 pm at Brown Street Park!

05/01/2026

We have entered into budget season, the time of year when the Mayor proposes a budget for Fiscal Year 2027, the City Council reviews the budget, the public comments on the budget, and the budget is revised and adopted for the start of the new Fiscal Year on July 1.

To review the budget this year, the City Council established a Ways & Means Committee to hear various City departments present their budget and to hear public comment. While I am not on the Ways & Means Committee, I am focused on the process and will attend every Ways & Means Committee hearing that I can. I encourage you to do the same. All City Council meetings are open to the public.

The next Ways & Means Committee meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 28 at 5:30 pm in Committee Room B on the third floor of City Hall. You can see the agenda and materials for that meeting here. The committee will be hearing budget presentations from Human Resources, Legal, Arts, Culture, and Tourism, and the Board of Canvassers. Due to a professional obligation for which I will be out of town, I will not be present for the April 28 meeting.

The City Council invites the public to comment on the proposed budget. Those meetings are scheduled for Monday, May 4 and Tuesday, June 9. Both will take place at 5:30 pm in the City Council Chamber, third floor of City Hall. Please join us to share your thoughts! If you do, please note that you should keep your comments to no more than two minutes, and you may want to come a bit early to sign up to comment. If you would like to share your thoughts in writing, you are very welcome to do so. Please submit testimony at this link: council.providenceri.gov/testimony. For the May 4 date, make sure that you have submitted your comments by 3:00 pm on Friday, May 1.

04/30/2026

Tonight, April 30, at 6:30 pm, please join us at Nathan Bishop Middle School (101 Sessions Street) for our monthly Ward 2 Community Meeting. This month, we will welcome Nate Urso, Traffic Engineer at the Department of Public Works, to share information about upcoming traffic-related project in Ward 2. Mr. Urso will also address your questions about signs, traffic calming, and related matters. As usual, representatives from Providence Police and Fire Departments will share updates, and I will share additional Ward 2 news.

While I hope to see you in person, you can also access this meeting via Zoom; please visit https://mailchi.mp/jilldavidsonri/ward-2-letter-april-29-12839725 for the link.

04/17/2026

📣 Providence neighbors: Learn how to safely defend our neighbors and democracy!

On Tuesday, April 21st at 6 p.m., Providence City Councilor Jill Davidson (Ward 2) and the Lawyers’ Committee for Rhode Island will host a training that will offer guidance on how to stay within the law while: witnessing an ICE arrest; protesting; documenting (photographing, recording, etc.); and protecting your place of worship, business, neighborhood, or home from ICE.

All Providence residents are invited to participate. Registration is encouraged: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfhJVDHvgQ8naLE9q3n188t-s4JGLDnBdP2vWwsphmU87rxyA/viewform.