The Interstate 195 Relocation Project and the Old Harbor Plan

The Interstate 195 Relocation Project and the Old Harbor Plan. . , You are standing in the middle of what was not so long ago a major city entrance ramp from Interstate Route 195. Until the year 2002, heavily trafficked highway access roads lines the length of both river banks. Upriver, the granite-clad pedestrian bridge marks the beginning of the Providence River Relocation Project. Its history is traced on the other panel displayed in this pavilion. This is an account of how a major interstate highway is being relocated and its access roads transformed into an extension of Providence's Renaissance River Walk. The enthusiastic backing of Mayor Cicilline and Governors Sundlun and Carcieri helped begin this vision to a reality., Interstate I-195 History: Old Harbor was finally sealed off to all but small boats with the construction of the hurricane and Interstate 195 in the late 1950's. I-195 gradually developed functional and physical problems: traffic increased three-fold over design levels. Spacing of ramps created unsafe weaving conditions. The Jewelry District was cut in half by the Interstate. Access ramps lined both sides of the river, cutting off access by pedestrians and boats. By 1991, structural deterioration of the Providence River Bridge became so critical as to warrant the state to begin engineering studies for its replacement., The Old Harbor Plan: Aware that transportation engineers were planning to rebuild the deteriorating bridge just to the north or south of its existing location, Robert E. Freeman (then Director of the Providence Foundation) and architect William D. Warner proposed a plan to move the highway out of the Old Harbor to the other side of the Hurricane Barrier. It would be a better route for the highway and free up 45 acres of the Old Harbor for other river walks, reconnecting city streets, and development. Funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (originally sponsored by Senator Claiborne Pell in 1965) was critical to the launching of the I-195 Old Harbor Plan. As was the case with the River Relocation Project, funding was awarded and planning began in November 1991. With the input of the Planning Advisory Committee, consisting of city, state, and community leaders, the planning process concluded in May 1992 with the publication of the "Old Harbor Plan"., RIDOT Adopts the Old Harbor Plan: By late summer of 1992, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation incorporated the Old Harbor Plan into the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) process of evaluating I-195 improvement proposals. The other alternatives proposed replacing the Interstate just to the north of the existing bridge, or rebuilding it in place. Daniel Baudouin, Director of the Providence Foundation, created a comparative analysis document of the three alternatives, which played a key role in the 1994 decision by the Federal Highway Administration to designate the Old Harbor/I-195 Relocation Plan as the preferred alternative. The relocating of I-195 paves the way for reclamation of the Old Harbor...the final link between the recently completed River Relocation Project to the north and the headwaters of Narragansett Bay to the south. No other waterfront city in America has benefited from such a makeover by its state's Department of Transportation as Providence has. RIDOT Directors have guided project implementation, beginning with Ed Wood and the River Relocation Plan of 1984, through Interstate 195 relocation with present Director Jim Capaldi. Day to day oversight has been provided by Chief Engineer Ed Parker since the beginning., Key Project Components: , . Replace structurally deteriorated bridges and aerial ramps "off-line" to minimize disruption of traffic. The project features fourteen new bridges, including a 1200-foot long gateway bridge over the Providence River. , . Eliminate traffic congestion and hazards, such as weaves, tight curves, and close ramp spacing, by applying up-to-date design standards. , . Extend service roads to increase access to downtown from I-95 on the city's West Side and improve access to Rhode Island Hospital. , . Re-establish historic street patterns to reconnect the lower East Side of College Hill to the Providence River and the Jewelry District to downtown. , . Extend river walk corridor of Providence River Park from the Crawford Street Bridge all the way south to the headwaters of the Narragansett Bay. , . Transform 45 acres of former highway land for river walks, mixed-use development, parks, and reconnected streets. , . Improve access to India Point Park with a new landscaped pedestrian bridge, a river walk through the hurricane barrier, and two new street connections. , . Extend Heritage Harbor Trail with its graphic panels all along the river walks from Waterplace to the Seekonk River where Roger Williams landed in 1636., Design and Construction: In February 1977, design and engineering began with a collaborative effort headed by Maguire Group's project engineer David Freeman and architect William D. Warner providing the urban design concepts for the bridges and river walks. Because of the large size of the $450 million project, RIDOT determined that several major construction contracts would be required to logically schedule and build it. The first contract, completed in 2002, removed a highway access road and created a linear park on the east shore of the river along South Water Street. You are standing on the river walk included in the second contract, completed in 2005. In the summer of 2005; the Point Street Bridge replacement over I-95 was being constructed. The 1200-foot long bridge. It is a new addition to the Providence River. The bridge was fabricated at Quonset Point. In the summer of 2006, the 400-foot arched center section was floated up the bay by a barge and jacked into place.