Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

PROVIDENCE, RI -- The state Department of Transportation said that it will eliminate a split in the southbound lanes of Route 95 Wednesday night, and, in a larger move, close the existing Exit 20 from Route 95 southbound to Route 195 eastbound beginning Friday night and replace it with a temporary ramp.

The work Wednesday night is to be finished in time for the Thursday morning commute, the department said.

DOT spokesman Charles St. Martin said the department is expecting traffic congestion until motorists get used to the changes, which are part of the DOT's huge project relocating part of Route 195 and its interchange with Route 95.

The DOT said it will close the existing Exit 20 at 11 p.m. Friday and open a new, temporary ramp near the Point Street overpass, about 1,000 feet to the south. The DOT said that because it will be eliminating a lane on both the exit ramp and Route 95, motorists should use alternate routes during the evening and Saturday morning. The work is scheduled to be complete by late morning on Saturday, Nov. 7.

The agency said it has to relocate the exit to take a number of steps in the overall project. Those include building a new on-ramp from Point Street to Route 95 south and building the permanent Exit 20 and a new Exit 19 from Route 95 south to the hospitals area and Eddy Street. The department said it expects that the Point Street ramp and the new Eddy Street ramps will open late next year.

Next fall, the DOT said it will again relocate Exit 20, this time to its permanent location south of the Broad Street overpass.

The DOT has maps of the changes on its Web site.

 Tags  Route 195 relocation Route 95

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