I-195 Providence

[Alps]

Thanks to Michael Moroney for bringing this to my attention.  For the first time, I-195 WB traffic will be using the new bridge (to I-95 south only, for now), starting June 18.  The next few months will be your last chance to drive on the old 195 through Providence.  After that, you can stop by and watch it get demolished.  (I went to college while the Big Dig was finishing up, so that will bring back some memories.)  See RIDOT for more information; the project is called IWAY.  I have photos and videos from the project thus far (and more queued up for future updates) on Alpsroads.net.

[Ian]

On my Rhode Island page on my Picasa, I have some photos of some of the I-195 upgrades...
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/RhodeIslandTrafficSignalsAndRoadSigns#

I also wish RIDOT would keep this sign...
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/RhodeIslandTrafficSignalsAndRoadSigns#5324327826445146866
but we all know thats going to be replaced by the time the project is completed.

[Alex]

Last part of 195/95 interchange to open next week

The final portion of Route 195 westbound traffic is scheduled to move to the new Iway alignment next week (Tuesday morning [10/20/09] weather permitting). Traffic on 195 west heading to 95 north is the only traffic remaining on the old portion of Route 195, this traffic will move to the new ramps south of the old interchange. With all traffic off the old alignment, demolition can commence in earnest.

And with that, my completed clinching of the New England Interstate system goes *poof* 

[agentsteel53]

And with that, my completed clinching of the New England Interstate system goes *poof* 

screw that, if I have clinched any historical routing, I consider it done!  I consider US-6 clinched, even if I have never driven the post-1947 bypass around Adair, Iowa... the old route going through the town is good enough for me!

[Alex]

And with that, my completed clinching of the New England Interstate system goes *poof* 

screw that, if I have clinched any historical routing, I consider it done!  I consider US-6 clinched, even if I have never driven the post-1947 bypass around Adair, Iowa... the old route going through the town is good enough for me!

There is some merit to that, but for me, if the highway changes its foot print, it requires reclinching. If it is simply reconstructed or renumbered, it does not need to be reclinched. When Interstate 70 at St. Louis shifts to a new bridge, I'll have to redrive it to reclinch I-70 for instance. Perhaps next year I'll get back up to Providence to check out the new Interstate 195! I owe a family friend in Boston a visit anyway!

[mightyace]

And with that, my completed clinching of the New England Interstate system goes *poof* 

screw that, if I have clinched any historical routing, I consider it done!  I consider US-6 clinched, even if I have never driven the post-1947 bypass around Adair, Iowa... the old route going through the town is good enough for me!

There is some merit to that, but for me, if the highway changes its foot print, it requires reclinching. If it is simply reconstructed or renumbered, it does not need to be reclinched. When Interstate 70 at St. Louis shifts to a new bridge, I'll have to redrive it to reclinch I-70 for instance. Perhaps next year I'll get back up to Providence to check out the new Interstate 195! I owe a family friend in Boston a visit anyway!

I agree.  I had I-376 clinched until this year!

[yakra]

There is some merit to that, but for me, if the highway changes its foot print, it requires reclinching. If it is simply reconstructed or renumbered, it does not need to be reclinched.

Agreed. I define clinching the same way. Much to my consternation, in some cases - I used to have US30 clinched across Ohio... now I have a 26 mile gap from OH235 to the Upper Sandusky business loop. Time marches on.
Luckily in the case of RI I-95, I got the old and new alignments in one go on my way back to Portland from the Hartford meet.

[Alps]

Getting back on topic, last I was through there, the old EB side was being demolished but traffic was still going through on the WB side.  I can't think that's going to last much longer.

[yakra]

Steve: That's already over with. Now, all thru traffic, even WB, uses the new alignment. A little bit of the old WB roadway is still open to access exit 2, but this is not to last.
Check out these PDFs among other things...
http://www.dot.ri.gov/documents/iway/I-195Update13.pdf
http://www.dot.ri.gov/documents/iway/east_side.pdf

[Alps]

It's a function of how old the photos are that I'm sorting through (4-6 months).  I would have loved to have had a Providence meet while work was ongoing, but oh well, we can have the I-195 drive-through as part of another meet when more happens in RI (there's always something).