|
|
« Station evidence: Hours after, Jeffrey Derderian questioned | Today | Station evidence: Cavalcade descended on scene » November 8, 2007Update: New Rte.195 ramp opening tomorrow / Photo
The ramp is expected to open in time for the evening commute. In a statement, the Department said opening the new South Main Street on-ramp to 195 East should ease congestion. The ramp is about than 1,000 feet west and south of the old Wickenden Street on-ramp. But it's not all that simple. The new South Main Street on-ramp to 195 east will only be open Monday through Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. to help ease the evening traffic jams that quadrupled some commuters' time on the road. All other times, it will be blocked. When the new ramp is open, the Wickenden Street on-ramp will be closed. "We will continue to do construction on the new South Main Street ramp when it is not open to traffic,"Jerome F. Williams, RIDOT’s director said in a statement. In the meantime, the opening, Williams said, “will improve traffic flow and create another way to reduce the congestion that has been occurring at the Wickenden Street on-ramp.” -- projo.com staff writers Brandie Jefferson and Michael P. McKinney In a news release today, the Department of Transportation defended progress on the project, releasing its own statistics today saying it has been "steadily improving the commute for travelers in and around Providence." Drivers on Route 95 north through Providence toward Exit 20 and Route 195 east used to encounter average traffic back-ups of 2.2 miles before the section of the Route 195 relocation, known as Iway, opened on Sunday, the DOT said. "With the opening of the Iway and the addition of Exit 19 there have been no back-ups at all during the afternoon rush hours Monday through Wednesday this week," the DOT news release said of motorists heading in that direction. The route heading south on Route 95 to get onto the Route 195 during evening commutes has drawn complaints in its first week, but DOT said today travel times "have slowly been improving for drivers headed from I-95 South on to I-195 East." Williams said travel on Route 95 to Route 195 east on Monday afternoon saw traffic delayed for 8 miles from exit 4 on Route 195 east to the end of the line. “This was totally unacceptable to us and we are continuing to make some good improvements,” said Williams. Commute times have improved as well going from 73 minutes for the same stretch of road on Monday to 35 minutes on Wednesday. This is a reduction of 38 minutes. A Journal reporter, driving from the same point for a trip that covered 5.8 miles, also saw times fall, but traffic was still bumper to bumper and stop and go. Tuesday evening the trip took 58 minutes while it took 45 minutes Wednesday evening. The backup began the first night at the School Street exit in Pawtucket Tuesday but did not begin till around the Providence-Pawtucket lines Wednesday night. The DOT said that on Tuesday, its findings showed the traffic back-up distance was 4.9 miles and on Wednesday it was down to 4.5 miles. The difference between Wednesday and Monday is nearly half, or 3.5 miles. The normal commuting back-up before the Iway opened at the start of November was 4 miles. What's it like now? Check the current "jam factor" showing traffic congestion on main Rhode Island routes here. Posted by Mike McKinney CommentsTed Lewandowski | November 8, 2007 7:42 PM link If heads did roll at the DOT, they would be the only things rolling at rush hours. Anon | November 9, 2007 8:11 AM link Post a commentPlease be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish. |
|
ADVERTISING |
|
|
|
|
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006
First of all, the Iway name sounds like Vinny Paz was in charge of naming the Highway project - no offense Vinny!
Second, the amount of graffiti on the spans of the bridge and overpasses is left like it doesn't affect or offend anyone - where is the Mayor's Task Force on Graffiti - the other week I did see the van driving around in the city!
Now the DOT wants to "apologize for the inconvenience" - well I say all the Rhode Island residents should file a class action lawsuit against the DOT for their lack of planning and just plain negligence!
Multiply $3.00/gallon by thousands of cars sitting bumper to bumper for nearly an hour and you will quickly see it adds up to six fugures - and that was just ONE DAY of delays - never mind the lost time.
Somebody's head should roll at the DOT.