The $600-million Route 195 relocation project, now five years old, is on schedule, said Jim Caroselli, chief civil engineer of construction operations at the R.I. Department of Transportation. But the project still faces a long haul, with the completion date slated for 2012.
However, construction on what could be considered the state’s largest transportation project has seen considerable developments in the past month – with more work emerging in the coming weeks.
Rhode Island's Market Has Changed. Developers, Builders, Investors and Sellers Must Change With It.
By Emilio DiSpirito IV License Partner | Engel & Völkers Oceanside Leader | The DiSpirito…
Learn More
Later this month, steel will be erected for Route 195 East’s new Washington Bridge, which is currently being built in between the existing east and westbound bridges.
Preparation work will soon start for phase two of the eastbound bridge’s demolition, which is planned for next year. About two-thirds of the current eastbound bridge will be demolished, with the remaining lanes being transformed into part of the East Bay Bike Path with a park area and scenic overlooks.
During construction, both the east and westbound bridges will maintain four lanes of traffic, except for limited closures for late-night work, said Caroselli.
The current eastbound section of the Washington Bridge is nearly 40 years older than the westbound side.
Additionally, the footbridge traversing Route 195 near India Point Park was closed earlier this month in preparation for demolition in October. The “rusty, old and narrow” pedestrian bridge will be replaced by a 50-foot-wide handicapped-accessible park, complete with landscaping, lookout points and lighting, said Caroselli. The project also calls for a new ramp from Route 195 East to India Street that will replace the Gano Street ramp.
In the entire highway project, four of 15 contracts have been completed, including a new river wall and road realignment on South Water Street, a new wet pond system on Gano Street, and a new river walk at Dyer Street and Memorial Boulevard, which was completed earlier this month.
Five more contract projects are scheduled to finish in the next two years that include ramp relocations, bridge erections and road updates.
The Point Street pass across Route 95 to the hospital area will be completed next July. The first portion of the relocated highway at the Route 95 North and Route 195 East merge will be open in November 2007.
The final six contracts, totaling nearly $90 million, will include additional work on Routes 195 and 95 and neighboring streets and demolition work. None of these contracts will go out to bid for about two years, said Caroselli.
The most expensive contract is the building of the 950-foot Providence River Bridge that will be highlighted by a 450-foot tied-steel signature arch. That portion of the bridge will be assembled in pieces at Quonset Point and will be shipped up the river. The whole project will cost nearly $85 million.
Plans for a $7-million dredging project for the Providence River, to allow for the passage of larger vehicles, was eliminated from the project, Caroselli said.
The entire project’s end result will be the creation of one mile of Interstate 195, 1.5 miles of resurfaced and realigned Interstate 95, and a new interchange between the two highways. The idea is to make travel safer and reduce merging for motorists, Caroselli said.
Additionally, 17 bridges will be eliminated and replaced by 10 new bridges.
There will also be more on-ramps and service roads that should allow for better access to downtown Providence, the Jewelry District and the hospital area.
In total, nearly $44 million was spent on property acquisitions and about $28 million was spent on utilities that included the relocation of a 136,000-barrel oil tank. Five years of demolition work, totaling nearly $3 million, finished this year with eight buildings being demolished on streets neighboring highway on-ramps.
The road realignment should be a welcome change for motorists.
On ratetheroads.com, a Web site ranking highway safety, Route 195 received a rating of only 16.5 out of 50 possible points for safety, congestion, pavement condition, clarity of signage and aesthetics.
