Ok didn’t they just rebuild the viaduct ten years ago? Or am I confusing that with another massive highway project Circa 2010-2012? When they had to redo half of it because someone’s math was wrong?

That was the southbound side. The recent completion was the northbound section that was built on the footprint of the old southbound section, allowing northbound traffic to keep moving. The picture is the demolition of the original northbound section. It'll be replaced to add 3 additional lanes allowing for a breakdown lane, and 2 express left lanes. Check out the dotri page.

Ah ok that makes more sense 😂. I suppose it’s a pipe dream that they’ll fix the awful state offices / 146 clusterf*ck in the process.

That's part of all this as well.

Yep there will be a collector exit from I believe the mall to branch avenue so that people can't try to go from the left lane to the 146 exit at last minute and slow everyone down.

Man, this whole section is so just fucking ugly to look at even without construction. Just a whole bunch of nothing.

Whoever decided expressways should carve thru the middle of cities ruined them all.

Don't worry, if we just add a few more lanes by demolishing the remaining places people want to go to, we'll have solved traffic!

Is it too late to do a big dig?? Haha kidding

I wish! Look at how much the pedestrian bridge park has revitalized that part of the city! Expressways, while good economically, are a plague on American cities.

I've said for years that it would be relatively easy to put a cap over 95 between Point Street and Atwells. Imagine being able to walk from downtown to Broadway or Westminster or Atwells without having to cross a hostile, extremely ugly highway overpass.

oh boy more lanes that always works

https://i.redd.it/b7fgbe6klux81.jpg

Nothing a few strategically placed pieces of C4 can't solve.

I'm not sure this is really comparable to widening a highway in the traditional sense where you're taking a 4 line highway and making it 5 for miles and miles. They're just taking a traffic chokepoint and improving the design. The only extra lanes are those bypass ones that are maybe 200-300 yards long.

Having the only view of the city from the highway being the back a giant ugly parking garage doesn’t exactly make the city look good either

I'd love it if they could cap the highway and add that space but I'm not sure how walking on a sidewalk that's an overpass is a big deal for 150 ft?

Take a walk on a windy day over any one of those bridges. Even in nice weather they are loud and dirty. Cars are extremely loud. Not to mention the crossings, especially on Broadway and Atwells, that prioritize cars over pedestrians so that often times I'm waiting at the corner of one of the overpasses for an entire light cycle or more with cars whizzing by beside and below me and no inkling of safety or comfort.

>not sure how walking on a sidewalk that's an overpass is a big deal for 150 ft

Maybe you would be sure if you actually walked there much

Also, if only it were merely the length of the overpass. The highway blights a blocks wide strip along both sides where not much but neglected parking lots, tire shops, traffic choked streets and, how convenient, Crossroads are to be found.

Not to mention that those "service roads" are treated like highways by most drivers

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I mean I get it but that’s not the biggest problem. Kenmore Square/Fenway in Boston has basically 2 interstates through it and it’s developed big time. More so than some areas of the big dig.

I respectfully disagree.. 95 is a huge gash through the center of the city. We should do everything we can to undo the damage.

I-95, combined with the dreary wasteland that is Cathedral Square today completely killed one of the most active parts of the city.

https://i.redd.it/fjqd58yj00v91.png

If Providence had rapid development occurring sure. We have empty buildings downtown and empty plots of land (adjacent to waterfront parks) that have been sitting for sale for years.

Spending the money to cover an interstate is not going to solve that.

God look at how absolutely disgusting the parking lots are too. Car first culture has ruined cities.

Did you ever ask yourself "why?" instead of ascribing an effect as the cause?

The reason Providence hasn’t had rapid development is not because there’s an open interstate running along one side of downtown.. Most major cities have this

I mean more about post-white flight and the conversion to car culture. Cities became something you drive into and not something that is livable and workable.

The area by the pedestrian bridge is already revitalized and has been built up a lot since even the pandemic! You have to make the city exciting and livable to attract people to live and work here!

The current design of the city chops half of it off creating a physical segregation boundary between different neighborhoods. The amount of parking lots downtown creates expensive living conditions and fewer green spaces. The lack of city pressure on greedy real estate companies drives up COL and creates an obvious economic barrier for people to move here. Not to mention the ugly and untenable nature of the areas surrounding 95!

None of these things individually make a city boom, but all of them are especially attractive to young adults and new businesses. All of which aid in revitalizing and making a walkable (and more importantly LIVABLE) city atmosphere.

But again, none of this is unique to Providence. There have been empty lots sitting around the pedestrian bridge area for years. That’s as pedestrian friendly area as you can get in PVD.

So yeah these things would be great but we are way past that point unfortunately! Gotta work with what exists now.