East Providence public safety officials appreciate I-195 traffic alterations

RIDOT responds to complaints, frees up more lanes during Washington Bridge reconstruction

By Mike Rego
Posted 8/27/18

EAST PROVIDENCE — The last-minute decision by the Rhode Island of Transportation to free up more lanes of egress onto Interstate 195 during reconstruction of the Washington Bridge in time for the …

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East Providence public safety officials appreciate I-195 traffic alterations

RIDOT responds to complaints, frees up more lanes during Washington Bridge reconstruction

Posted

EAST PROVIDENCE — The last-minute decision by the Rhode Island of Transportation to free up more lanes of egress onto Interstate 195 during reconstruction of the Washington Bridge in time for the morning rush at the start of this week paid immediate dividends, according to city public safety officials.

RIDOT announced over the weekend it would open up two more lanes of travel westbound on I-195. Work to shift barriers commenced Saturday, Aug. 25, and was completed in time for Monday, Aug. 27. The move, done in response to growing backlash from East Bay-area commuters and local administrators, appeared to alleviate the congestion created by the beginning of the construction process at the start of the previous week.

“Things went very smoothly today,” East Providence Police Department Patrol Division Captain Christopher Francesconi said around noontime August 27. “There was very limited traffic. No accidents were reported to us this morning. Things went well, a lot better than last week for sure.”

RIDOT initially closed the two right lanes of travel on I-195-West as well as the Gano Street exit to the East Side of Providence. In addition, the Taunton Avenue on-ramp to 195 in East Providence was razed and replaced with a temporary structure. Due to the lane closures, however, motorists entering I-195 at Taunton Avenue were forced to merge into an already long line of traffic.

“Last week was pretty crazy,” Capt. Francesconi continued. “Taunton Avenue was backed up most of the day and 195 was backed up pretty much all day.”

While East Providence officials knew of the plans to alter traffic flows on the Washington Bridge for the duration of reconstruction, a process expected to last upwards of 18 months, they weren’t quite aware of the intricacies of the project. Added to the existing efforts to fix cross bridges in city over 195 and the Veterans Memorial Parkway on ramp to it, and the situation it seemed was ripe for problems.

“We knew of the broad strokes, but not so much the finer details,” Capt. Francesconi said of the Washington Bridge project’s potential impact on travel.

He added, “But these changes have helped out a lot. Now there is a lane dedicated to Taunton Avenue. Drivers don’t have to merge into on-coming traffic anymore. They can enter the highway at a pretty decent clip, which helps out with congestion.”

East Providence Fire Department personnel, likewise, saw an immediate impact of the lane alterations. Chief Oscar Elmasian said early reports from staff have been positive.

“It seems like the situation has been rectified with the changes they’ve made,” Chief Elmasian added. “Because our transportation times for rescue were definitely delayed and so were our response times to the inner part of the city, around Taunton Avenue. Taunton Avenue was pretty much backed up the entire day, every day last week. Hopefully, that’s been fixed now.”

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.