Quonset Point, also known simply as Quonset, is a small peninsula in Narragansett Bay in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It is contained entirely within the town of North Kingstown. "Quonset" is a Native American word likely meaning "small long place".[1]
Quonset Point was the location of Naval Air Station Quonset Point, a large United States Navy base. The peninsula is now used for industrial purposes and is partially abandoned. A major industrial tenant is a hull-fabrication and outfitting facility for Electric Boat Corporation.
Rhode Island Route 403 is a freeway branching from Route 4 that serves the area; Quonset is also served by a railroad spur from Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. The Providence and Worcester Railroad which provides freight service along this stretch of the Corridor delivers freight to the Seaview Railroad { http://www.inrailgroup.com/seaview/index.html } which provides local freight service within the industrial park. The section of the Northeast Corridor between Quonset Point/Davisville and the junction with the P&W's main line at Boston Switch in Central Falls, R.I. has recently been upgraded to handle 19-foot (5.8 m) high auto carriers. [2]
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Quonset Point is home to the Quonset Business Park.
The business park, encompassing 3,000 acres (12 km2), was the location of the former Quonset Naval Air Station and Rework Facility and the former Naval Construction Battalion Center Davisville. The Business Park is situated on the shores of Narragansett Bay, conveniently located between New York City and Boston in the heart of the New England Business Corridor. Its transport system includes rail, air, direct highway access and a port. The Quonset Business Park infrastructure includes all roads and utilities (electricity, natural gas, fresh water, and on-site wastewater treatment). The communications network provides high-speed fiber optic for voice, data, and video. In 2010, the Narragansett Water Pollution Control Association gave the QDC its Robert J. Markelewicz Award for outstanding contributions to wastewater treatment system maintenance.
The Quonset Business Park is home to more than 164 businesses, employing more than 8,800 individuals. The mix of businesses includes office, warehouse and distribution, marine construction, light and general manufacturing, as well as importing.Major businesses at the Quonset Business Park include Electric Boat, North Atlantic Distribution (NORAD), Toray Plastics, Hexagon Metrology, SENESCO and Ocean State Job Lot.
The business park has extensive recreational and public space as well, with a 138-acre (56 ha) golf course, four public beaches and 2.5-mile (4.0 km) mixed-use bike path. Other amenities include a marina, high-speed ferry service to Martha’s Vineyard and a child daycare facility.
The Quonset Development Corporation (QDC), a special purpose subsidiary of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC), a quasi-public company, is responsible for the development and management of the park.
Since 2004 there has been $170 million in private investment with another $126 million in the pipeline. 2,700 new jobs have been created since 2004, from welders, to medical technicians, engineers, researchers and longshoremen. In 2010, the QDC launched QuonsetJobs.com, a web page for employers to post jobs and job seekers to read through listings.
As of May 2010, construction continues on the $144 million mixed-use retail development known as The Gateway, supported by the New Boston Fund. The 72.5-acre (293,000 m2) Gateway serves as the “front door” to the Quonset Business Park. Privately funded, it’s expected to create space for 2,000 jobs, mostly in targeted high wage sectors. The Gateway already houses a Kohl’s department store, a Supercuts and a branch of the locally owned grocery store Dave’s Marketplace. Eventually, the space will include office and R&D space, community space, a sports complex, a hotel and more retail and restaurants. In May 2010, construction began on the TownePlace Suites by Marriott hotel, which will have four stories and 103 rooms. It’s expected to be the state’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified hotel.
Roadway and bridge work to connect the Gateway and Commerce Park districts of the Business Park is funded in part by a $3.88 million Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant. This project will improve access to the Commerce Park District of the Park and 156 acres (0.63 km2) of land which can support an additional 998 jobs. The federal stimulus money for this priority project is expected to create additional jobs and private investment in the area while also improving rail track safety and traffic efficiency. The grant is supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
The Quonset Business Park has designation as a free trade zone for the Port of Davisville. The Port is one of the top auto importers in the country, mainly vehicles from Volkswagen and Subaru. The Port is positioned to grow further with the recent upgrade of the rail system that allows autos to be carried on triple-decked rail cars anywhere east of the Mississippi River and into Canada. The Port of Davisville benefits greatly from its exemption from the Harbor Maintenance Tax, a vestige from when the area was a major naval port. This tax exemption allows products offloaded to avoid the expensive federal tax.
In 2009, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) decided that the Port would be home to the Okeanos Explorer, a one-of-a-kind research vessel devoted entirely to exploring unknown parts of the world's oceans. It’s a former Navy surveillance ship acquired by the NOAA and converted into a deep sea research vessel.[2]
The Quonset Business Park offers an extensive mix of transportation opportunities:
•The Port of Davisville offers 4,500 feet (1,400 m) of berthing space, consisting of two Piers (each 1,200 feet (370 m) in length), a bulkhead, 29 ft (8.8 m) channel draft, on-dock rail and a 14-acre (57,000 m2) lay down area;
•The Quonset Airport, managed by the Rhode Island Airport corporation and operated by AvPorts is a general aviation facility with a 7,500 ft (2,300 m) runway, a staffed control tower and an Instrument Landing System;
•Rail service within the Park is provided by Seaview Transportation Co., Inc. and consists of approximately 14 miles (23 km) of track in two branches;
•The Quonset Business Park benefits from convenient access to Interstate 95 (4 miles) via a 4-lane limited-access highway.
•Ferry service to and from Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard is provided by Rhode Island Fast Ferry, Inc. which operates a high-speed ferry out of the Business Park.
•The Rhode Island Public Transportation authority currently has bus stops at Electric Boat, The Gateway (Kohl's)and on Post Road on the border of the Quonset Business Park.[3]
The ferry dock at Quonset Point is the main terminal for the Martha's Vineyard Fast Ferry Millennium to Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts. A shuttle bus leaves every hour before the ferry departs; and after the ferry arrives, a bus travels to the Providence Airport (T. F. Green State Airport) and the Kingston Amtrak Train Station.
The Rhode Island Air Show is held annually by the Rhode Island National Guard.
During the 1950s, Quonset Point was home port for the aircraft carriers, the USS Antietam, USS Tarawa, and the USS Leyte.
During the 1960s and early 1970s, four aircraft carriers used Quonset Point as their home port. The carriers were the USS Lake Champlain, the USS Essex, the USS Wasp, and the USS Intrepid.
BASE: Advancing a Post-Military Landscape An extensive photographic survey of the Quonset Point & Davisville Naval Bases completed in 2000 by Erik Carlson & Erica Carpenter.