NEWPORT — After multiple accidents at the notorious intersection in recent years, the City of Newport has decided to take decisive action and install ramps to launch cross traffic over Bellevue. A four-way stop had been considered but was deemed too inconvenient for trucks hauling boulders to Beechwood at 2:00 a.m.
Bernadette O’Driscoll, Deputy Director of the Newport Traffic Innovation Committee, said, “We have found a clever way of alleviating a bottleneck by diverting traffic over the intersection rather than through it.”
The plan did raise concerns about whether rental scooters would possess enough power to clear the jump. In response, committee members announced that beginning May 1, 2026, all rental scooters must produce a minimum of 500 horsepower. Helmets will remain optional.
Officials added that teenagers on e-bikes routinely achieve sufficient velocity to make the jump, and early estimates suggest that even a 30 percent landing success rate would “dramatically improve overall intersection safety.” E-ZPass will be accepted to pay the toll.