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June 4, 2008

Update: No problems for exit 20 Iway closure/ Photo

Journal photo / Bill Murphy
Motorists drive past the closed Exit 20 on Route 95 North as a light rain falls this morning.

PROVIDENCE _ The state closed a major highway exit in the city this morning without disrupting traffic.

Exit 20 on Route 95 northbound, the ramp feeding traffic to Route 195 eastbound, was closed as part of the Department of Transportation's relocation of a section of Route 195 and its intersection with Route 95.

Much of the traffic using Exit 20 to reach Route 195 eastbound had already shifted to the new Exit 19 and the new section of highway, which the DOT has named the Iway.

This morning's change cut the remaining northbound traffic off from some exits on the old section of Route 195 near downtown. The DOT suggested a variety of detours, including continuing north on Route 95 to other Providence exits and leaving the highway at Allens Avenue and following that north to downtown.

Early this morning, most of the northbound traffic appeared to be continuing past the closed exit and taking later exits to reach the city.

Frank Corrao III, the DOT's deputy chief engineer in charge of construction management, said this morning that "There really has been no problem with the traffic." He said the exit was

The earlier element of the traffic shift, when the new section of highway opened in November, caused an enormous traffic jam that continued for days starting at Route 195 eastbound where the DOT had reduced the highway from three lanes to two.

Traffic backed up on Route 195 and then onto Route 95 southbound all the way to the Massachusetts line, and the DOT had to open a new entrance ramp to the highway ahead of schedule to relieve the jam.

This morning's exit closing was different in that drivers unaware of the change were forced to continue north on Route 95, take a later exit and find their way back to their destination.

A description and maps of the suggested detours are on the DOT's Web site.

-- Journal staff writer Bruce Landis

Posted by Brandie Jefferson  at 10:30 AM | Permalink

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