The Cranston Parkade Shopping Center sits on 41.6 acres with approximately 260,000 total square feet housing 18 tenant stores, many of which are new to Rhode Island shoppers. Installation of all new water, gas, electrical and sewer systems to rid itself of an archaic infrastructure and provide one that would support all future development. Hundreds of miles of underground fiber optic and coaxial cable were provided to support the broadband services to the entire development including high speed Internet, digital phone, and cable.
Major road construction and road improvements have provided even better public access to the site. This effort was undertaken through a unique public/private partnership, which included the RIDOT, the City of Cranston, First Hartford Realty Corporation, the US Economic Development Administration, and the Federal Highway Administration. This partnership created “the Garfield Avenue extension”, a 1.3-mile road, which replaced a little used local street with a modern four-lane roadway connecting parts of Cranston previously isolated from each other.
The new extension roadway is adorned with 77 cast iron ornamental street poles and lights, several new traffic signals, stamped brick crosswalks, new pedestrian signals and crossings, and newly installed sidewalks. In addition, the highway on-ramps off Garfield Avenue have been redesigned and widened and the Carolina Street entrance to the Parkade has been completely redesigned.