Rhode Island News

[PHLBOS]

The Henderson Bridge on the Providence/East Providence line just got the green light for demo and reconstruction.  It will shrink from 6 to 2 lanes, officially killing the dream of the past that a highway would run through there!
https://www.wpri.com/weather/pinpoint-traffic/-545-million-invested-for-ri-bridge-repairs-improvements/1808575989

It may have been built as a 6-laner; but only 4 lanes have been open for quite some time.

[Mergingtraffic]

It means this will be gone soon:

[shadyjay]

Nice sky color in that first sign, mergingtraffic!

[jon daly]

Nice sky color in that first sign, mergingtraffic!

Indeed.

[Mergingtraffic]

Nice sky color in that first sign, mergingtraffic!

Thanks Shadyjay and Jon! Sometimes I wonder if people actually like the pics I take. 

[yakra]

The scattershot button copy reflections are a nice effect too.

[shadyjay]

On a visit to Vermont over the past few days, I returned to CT via New Hampshire, eastern Mass, and RI.  Just moments before the MA/RI state line on I-295 South, this sign popped out at me:

295SB-old by Jay Hogan, on Flickr

Every sign replacement project always seems to have that one sign that got away... that missed the cut... that was either at one extreme end or the other of a replacement contract that it just got overlooked.  Well this seems to be the perfect example of this.  It looks very much like a Rhode Island sign, but its in Massachusetts, a mile or so before the border.  And my thought is that it got missed out by not just one, but two sign replacement projects.  A similar thing has occured with RI Exit 30, being practically on the Mass. border.  More uniqueness... the Mile/Km distances to two control cities that don't even appear on any exit signs down the line.

Any thoughts on this rogue unit?

Also got shots of the APL for Exit 9, which is temporarily patched:

295SB-Exit09-2 by Jay Hogan, on Flickr

[PHLBOS]

On a visit to Vermont over the past few days, I returned to CT via New Hampshire, eastern Mass, and RI.  Just moments before the MA/RI state line on I-295 South, this sign popped out at me:

295SB-old by Jay Hogan, on Flickr

Every sign replacement project always seems to have that one sign that got away... that missed the cut... that was either at one extreme end or the other of a replacement contract that it just got overlooked.  Well this seems to be the perfect example of this.  It looks very much like a Rhode Island sign, but its in Massachusetts, a mile or so before the border.  And my thought is that it got missed out by not just one, but two sign replacement projects.  A similar thing has occured with RI Exit 30, being practically on the Mass. border.  More uniqueness... the Mile/Km distances to two control cities that don't even appear on any exit signs down the line.

Any thoughts on this rogue unit?

Typically, the limit of work for sign replacement projects only goes as far as the state line.  Any signs beyond the border are not included and are the responsibility of the adjacent state DOT agency (MassDOT in this case).  Unless RIDOT notified MassDOT during the design phase of the project that one or two of their signs referencing RI interchanges needing to be replaced/updated; such are usually left alone.

The above-example BTW is 1 mile from the border.

The 1977-era Exit 30 & 29 BGS' & gantry along I-95 example sign is located just north of the border and are MA-spec'd (then-MassDPW)

[Beeper1]

Actually, that Valley Falls / Diamond Hill mileage sign was replaced in both of the last sign replacement projects.   I used to travel that route regularly and clearly remember the previous versions.   For some reason, it is always replaced identical to the previous one, and never changed to the more current format MA uses for mileage signs or to remove the km distances.

Follow up:  is this the only remaining sign in MA with mile and km distances? 

[PHLBOS]

Actually, that Valley Falls / Diamond Hill mileage sign was replaced in both of the last sign replacement projects.

I'm assuming that those sign replacement projects you're referring to were MA projects and only covered the short MA stretch of I-295.  The replacement signs along the RI stretch were separate/independent RIDOT project(s).

I used to travel that route regularly and clearly remember the previous versions.   For some reason, it is always replaced identical to the previous one, and never changed to the more current format MA uses for mileage signs or to remove the km distances.

That is odd to be sure.  MA's first mileage BGS' that showed km distances were from the mid-1970s.

Follow up: is this the only remaining sign in MA with mile and km distances?

Offhand, I would say yes.

[Ben114]

Also got shots of the APL for Exit 9, which is temporarily patched:

295SB-Exit09-2 by Jay Hogan, on Flickr

That's probably the first APL in RI, I gotta check that out soon

[shadyjay]

95SB in Providence gas a couple as well.  I've got shots of those on my I95 RI page on Flickr.

[Beeper1]

Actually, that Valley Falls / Diamond Hill mileage sign was replaced in both of the last sign replacement projects.

I'm assuming that those sign replacement projects you're referring to were MA projects and only covered the short MA stretch of I-295.  The replacement signs along the RI stretch were separate/independent RIDOT project(s).

I used to travel that route regularly and clearly remember the previous versions.   For some reason, it is always replaced identical to the previous one, and never changed to the more current format MA uses for mileage signs or to remove the km distances.

That is odd to be sure.  MA's first mileage BGS' that showed km distances were from the mid-1970s.

Follow up: is this the only remaining sign in MA with mile and km distances?

Offhand, I would say yes.

Yes, they were replaced by MA as part of their sign contracts.  This has always been a MA sign, it never matched the style of any of the BGSs on the RI side of the line.

[spooky]

That's probably the first APL in RI, I gotta check that out soon

There has been an APL on I-95 SB in Providence for the US 6/RI 10/Downtown exit for at least a couple years.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8353465,-71.416005,3a,75y,200.69h,96.56t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1snB7tPYAZZYYiIdiJgkD0IQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[southshore720]

Also got shots of the APL for Exit 9, which is temporarily patched:

295SB-Exit09-2 by Jay Hogan, on Flickr

It would've been a smarter idea to erect this APL AFTER the bridge repair.  However, it's RIDOT...so I shouldn't be surprised.

[roadman]

Actually, that Valley Falls / Diamond Hill mileage sign was replaced in both of the last sign replacement projects.

I'm assuming that those sign replacement projects you're referring to were MA projects and only covered the short MA stretch of I-295.  The replacement signs along the RI stretch were separate/independent RIDOT project(s).

I used to travel that route regularly and clearly remember the previous versions.   For some reason, it is always replaced identical to the previous one, and never changed to the more current format MA uses for mileage signs or to remove the km distances.

That is odd to be sure.  MA's first mileage BGS' that showed km distances were from the mid-1970s.

Follow up: is this the only remaining sign in MA with mile and km distances?

Offhand, I would say yes.

Yes, they were replaced by MA as part of their sign contracts.  This has always been a MA sign, it never matched the style of any of the BGSs on the RI side of the line.

Wrong.  The 'Valley Falls/Diamond Hill' distance sign with the dual MI/km distances is done to RI spec, not MA.  This sign was retained during both the 1988 MassDPW and 2005 MassHighway I-295 sign replacement projects.  As the sign is located in MA, I'm not sure how it got there to begin with. 

[jon daly]

Is Rhode Island planning on replacing the I-295 overpasses over the Plainfield Pike (RI-14?) I see a lot of earth moving equipment in the median near there and it looks like they may put up temporary overpasses while they redo the main ones. I think that every other construction project that I come across is mentioned on RIDOT's webpage, but not this one.

[davewiecking]

The Goog retrieves several articles in response to me asking about "Plainfield Pike Bridge" . "Yes"  is the answer to your question.

[jon daly]

Thanks. I've learned that it's best to approach that stretch in the right lane if you're having north out of the "canyon." That seemed counterintuitive as there is no climbing lane in the canyon and slow 18 wheelers sometimes crawl up that highway there.

[bob7374]

RIDOT re-opened up the Gano Street ramp on I-195 West on Thursday evening as it weighs options for the upcoming Washington Bridge reconstruction project: https://www.ri.gov/press/view/36922

Still no news on the next phase of exit number renumbering on what the link to the project page on the RIDOT Statewide Programs & Initiatives page calls the Highway Renumbering Project. 

[Roadsguy]

So... here's a video of the bridge replacement and interchange removal on the Henderson Expressway...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANLaR5f60Kw

Video is private

[bob7374]

RIDOT has announced the winning bidder for the 2nd round of RI 146 sign replacement to begin this summer. The winning bidder, surprise again, is  LIDDELL BROS. INC  with a bid of $4,737,973.72 vs. ROADSAFE TRAFFIC SYSTEMS, INC. at $6,035,428.22. Will Liddell get all the MassDOT exit renumbering contracts as well?

[SectorZ]

Will Liddell get all the MassDOT exit renumbering contracts as well?

Probably, and we'll be lucky that they're done before 2030.

[bob7374]

While the exit renumbering hasn't started, there is some progress on updating signage along RI 24. Here's both versions of the 1/2 mile advance for the now signed as RI 138 exit southbound in Portsmouth:


Other new sign and new sign post photos are at: http://www.malmeroads.net/mass21c/neexitrenumbering.html#photos

[southshore720]

In addition to the current signage upgrades, additional upgrades are coming to Route 146!  INCLUDING the elimination of the horrible stoplight at Sayles Hill Rd!  (We'll see if that actually comes to fruition!)
https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/blackstone-valley/ri-lands-65m-federal-grant-to-fix-route-146/?fbclid=IwAR2mc50i5QclYtma8AM_2Y5WBKZ3B2gj1Rghx8SBrEnMHDwACKdAlsYePkE