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Few problems on Day 2 of Route 195 traffic change
01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, June 20, 2009
On a learning curve, motorists negotiate Route 195 west.
The Providence Journal / Mary Murphy
Drivers on Friday once again had few problems negotiating the new stretch of Route 195, according to a state transportation spokesman, as traffic appeared unaffected by a day of wet weather.
“Once again traffic was moving very well [Friday] morning,” said Frank Corrao, a DOT deputy chief engineer. The rain “really didn’t appear to have a negative impact on traffic.”
State transportation officials on Thursday successfully opened the new section of Route 195, affecting the roughly 85,000 vehicles that enter the city daily from the east.
The DOT shifted westbound Route 195 traffic headed for southbound Route 95 from the old highway and its ramps leading to Route 95 to new ones that are part of the new section of Route 195.
It closed the old Route 195 ramp to Route 95 south and created a new split on the Providence end of the Washington Bridge, dividing traffic headed southbound from traffic heading north. Traffic in the right-hand lanes continues on the old Route 195, connecting to Route 95 north.
The changes caused some added congestion but no massive tie-ups.
DOT workers late Thursday did need to rearrange some traffic barrels at the South Main Street off-ramp to make the access clearer and cover obsolete signs on the old section of Route 195 west, Corrao said.
“Some drivers were not truly understanding where the off-ramp was,” Corrao said.
He was aware of no accidents around the new split Friday, Corrao said, and the breakdown of one vehicle failed to affect the morning commute.
After the morning rush hour, traffic was “pretty much free flowing,” he said. 6 Prairie Avenue 9 Pascoag 14 West Bay 19 Plainfield/Westminster 20 Elmwood/Airport 21 Reservoir/Garden City 22 Pontiac Avenue 26 Atwells/RI College 30 Arlington/Oaklawn 32 West Barrington 35 Rumford 53 Smithfield Avenue 54 Lincoln/Woonsocket 58 Mineral Spring / N. Providence 60 Providence/Newport 61 Beaches 62 Thames/Fort Adams 64 Newport/URI 66 URI/Galilee 67 Bellevue/Mansions 75 Dexter/Lincoln Mall 87 Fairmount/Walnut Hill 91 Gold Line 203 Narragansett Flex 231 South Aquidneck Flex 282 Pascoag/Slatersville Flex RIPTA encourages passengers to check the new schedules by picking up a leaflet at the Kennedy Plaza station. Or, for schedules and other information, call (401) 781-9400, or visit www.ripta.com
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