Providence to Cincinnati: Heading Home!

[JMoses24]

In my last couple posts, I chronicled my roadtrip from Cincinnati to Providence, RI. Today, I'll write about my trip back to Cincinnati which took place on May 21-22. As with the previous reports, I had no say in the routing whatsoever.

Starting in downtown Providence: Memorial Blvd west to I-95 south through Connecticut and New York State (clinching the route in these states) to NJ 495 (clinching that) through the Lincoln Tunnel to the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Notes: Pretty big project at I-95 and I-91 slowed traffic in downtown New Haven, but otherwise no huge delays.

From NYC, I got confused. I know we went back through the Lincoln Tunnel to I-95 south. But instead of taking I-78 which I thought we would do, we headed south on I-95 (and the NJ Turnpike) to I-276 to I-76 to I-376 to downtown Pittsburgh's Greyhound terminal.

Notes: The Pennsylvania Turnpike has multiple projects, including replacement of bridges between Mileposts 250 and 252 and widening between MP 207 and 211. I-376 into the Squirrel Hill Tunnel was a total cluster-foxtrot at 6:15 AM.

From downtown Pittsburgh, I-376 West to I-79 South to I-70 West to Wheeling, WV. Exited at Main Street and then traveled south to 16th Street.

Notes: No major projects, but the Fort Pitt tunnel, like Squirrel Hill, is a cluster-foxtrot. I have been told this is how folks in Pittsburgh are with tunnels.

From Wheeling, back north on Market street to get back on I-70 west (clinching that in WV AND Ohio, I already had most of I-70 in Ohio save the Wheeling stretch) to Exit 155 to Ohio 60 south to Main Street west to that city's Greyhound terminal.

Notes: I-70 is getting a bridge replacement in St Clairsville at OH SR 9. Multiple other bridge replacements ongoing in ODOT district 11 on I-70.

From Zanesville, back up Main Street to 6th Street to I-70 west into downtown Columbus, exiting to south 4th Street.

Notes: Bridge replacement on I-70 west of exit 129 over Canal Road. Of course, they're also working on the 70/71 interchange to the east of downtown Columbus.

From there, it was basically a reprisal of the route from Cincinnati to Columbus, but in the opposite direction and minus the trip through OSU. So I-70 west to I-71 south to Gilbert Avenue to downtown Cincinnati. See my earlier post on part 1 of the outbound trip. That area wasn't nearly as bad...until I hit Norwood. There, a crash with car fire had the northbound side closed and slowed the southbound lanes for THREE MILES with rubberneck delays.

The only things that stand between me and a clinch of the eastern I-76 is the section east of I-276; the part between the eastern terminus of I-376 in PA and the I-80/76 interchange in Ohio; and between OH SR 21 and I-71. I now have clinched I-95 (as it has existed) from I-495 in MD to downtown Providence. Truth be told, even without the Turnpike/95 project finished, I can basically say I've clinched 95 as it will exist down the line, as well. Also, sections of I-79 from I-376 to I-80 and from I-68 to I-64 remain to clinch that roadway in its entirety. I came oh-so-close to a clinch of I-90 in NY and MA, but am still missing the sections from I-787 to I-87; from I-290 to MA 146; and everything east of South Station.