Southbound Route 95, from Crossroads Rhode Island on Broad Street in Providence, will be a beehive of activity over the coming weeks as crews work on the Route 95-Route 195 highway interchange. Below, one lane will bear to the left and two lanes will bear to the right at the second split on Route 95 southbound.

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The Providence Journal / Andrew Dickerman

PROVIDENCE — Motorists traveling south on Route 95 through downtown will see more traffic barrels and split lanes starting Wednesday. And the temporary shifts in traffic patterns will require drivers heading for Route 195 east, Exit 20, or the hospitals, Exit 19, to commit earlier to those lanes.

The lane shifts — and the anticipated significant traffic delays — are necessary, state transportations officials say, to give construction crews on the highway interchange project more room to work during the latest phase of the project.

The earlier exit approach and lane split around Exit 20 will be in place for about two weeks while similar changes around Exit 19 will last for five or six weeks, said Department of Transportation project manager Frank Corrao III.

The traffic changes could prove more challenging for motorists getting onto Route 95 south from the Providence Place mall and the Route 6-10 connector because they will have less time to decide which lanes they should be in.

His advice? All southbound drivers should be in their correct lanes by the time they pass under Atwells Avenue. Practice courtesy and patience. And if you’re just passing through Providence, take Route 295 around the city instead.

“The best thing they can do is avoid this area for two weeks,” he said.

Normally, it takes about 13 minutes for Route 95 motorists heading south from Attleboro to reach the Route 195 exit, said Corrao. That time could be doubled if motorists don’t try to find alternative routes or stagger their commuting times, two suggestions drivers have followed during other phases of the project.

Things will start to change quickly just south of the Atwells Avenue exit and overpass.

Traffic will split. Those motorists remaining on Route 95 south will see lanes reduced from three to two. Motorists heading for Route 195 east, Exit 20, will see the two on-ramp lanes about one-half mile sooner than they are today.

Motorists who want to get off at the hospitals will stay on Route 95 south and look for Exit 19. There, they will see a second lane split, more traffic barrels and cones, and again will have to get into the exit ramp lanes sooner than they do now.

Road crews will be working around the clock through the work week and for 20 hours on Saturdays for at least the next couple of weeks to reduce the inconvenience, said Corrao.

October is expected to be a busy month for the highway project.

Officials plan to open the northbound Point Street overpass in about two weeks, said Corrao.

And motorists heading westbound on Route 195 for Route 95 north may be riding across the new bridge over the Providence River by the end of the month, he said, weather permitting.

tmooney@projo.com