There are no dams along the river's length, although the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier is located south of downtown to protect the city of Providence from damaging tidal floods.

The southern part of the river has been dredged at a cost of $65 million in federal and state funds to benefit nearby marinas and commercial shipping interests.

It was the northeastern limit of Dutch claims in the colonial era, owing to Adriaen Block's exploration of Narragansett Bay, from 1614 until the Hartford Treaty of 1650.

One half mile downstream, it is joined from the east by the Seekonk River and continues south.

Since the late 1990s,[2] the Providence River has been known for gondola rides, which can be enjoyed by tourists and locals daily in season.