Why was Route 95 sited where it is in Providence?

Submitted by HistoricalDocument11 t3_yjng5i in providence

Why was Route 95 sited where it is in Providence? What were the main factors that influenced where it was sited? I understand the lanes have been shifted over time, but it looks like it’s generally in the same location. There was some information on the Wikipedia page “Interstate 95 in Rhode Island.” There was an article cited from the Hopkinson Historical Association but it’s no longer on their website. Any other sources I should check out?

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brick1972 t1_iuoxznx wrote

I don't think it is a huge mystery that 95 was intended to connect city centers (generally speaking all of the 2 digit highways are meant this way) and at the time remember Providence was still a large city in the US (in 1950 it was the same population as Miami for instance) so it wouldn't have been bypassed. Why the route was chosen to follow coastal CT probably has to do with port access.

The specific route in Providence was likely the subject of a lot of fighting. The S curves in Pawtucket were the result of keeping a few buildings instead of blowing through them. But you can imagine that it was always going to skirt downcity. The cricling bit around South Providence I imagine also has to do with Port access. Remember part of the reason for the interstate highway system was efficient movement of military supplies. So if you assume that they wanted the highway as close as possible to the working Port of PRovidence off of Allens Ave, and then wanted to go as directly North to Boston, the choice would be where it is, or to go through downcity. If you look at aerials of the city from the time this would have been a bit of a complex issue and honestly as much as 95 might suck now, running 95 like where Memorial Drive is now would suck more.

I think the story of the route through Pawtucket (Which honestly makes no sense in modern context) is more interesting. Why the sudden right turn instead of following, essentially, the train tracks? I assume this is because the mills were still busy and needing access to the railroad but you'd have to ask someone more learned than me.

*As a side note you might say "but 95 doesn't go through Boston!" which is true but there is an interesting history on this which you can google, etc.

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doctor-rumack t1_iupfulr wrote

> but 95 doesn’t go through Boston.

Interesting, indeed. 95 was supposed to continue into Boston from where it abruptly "ends" in Canton at the 93/128 interchange. That stretch would’ve been 695 and it would’ve met I-93 at the Central Artery. It would’ve gutted the city worse than it already is, and displaced thousands of residents of mostly poor neighborhoods. There was a lot of opposition to it, and no true backup plan ever materialized. This is why the most heavily traveled interstate on the east coast turns into a single lane off-ramp that routes itself onto a state highway outside of one of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas.

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RandomChurn t1_iuqvob2 wrote

Thank you for this comprehensive reply: so interesting! I didn't grow up here so my knowledge about both RI and Providence is woefully lacking. This bit:

> Providence was still a large city in the US (in 1950 it was the same population as Miami for instance)

is totally new to me. Was Providence once much bigger / densely populated, or is it that it stopped growing at the rate that other comparably-sized cities did?

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brick1972 t1_iuqzd2d wrote

The density definitely got lower. Providence metro has increased population while Providence city limits has gone down. That said even the metro hasn't grown at anywhere near the rates of cities in the south and west.

On my phone so it's annoying to share links but you can look on macro trends and other places to see what I mean. Bear in mind most data lacks granularity since the census is every ten years.

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RandomChurn t1_iurreic wrote

>That said even the metro hasn't grown at anywhere near the rates of cities in the south and west.

Ah yes. I grew up in MA. And that applies to all of the Northeast pretty much, right? There was a flight to the south and west when manufacturing became much cheaper there (before most of it then moved out of the US altogether). Like mens shirts and all knitwear -- they used to be made in New England and first moved to the sunbelt before going offshore.

(And of course, nearly all of RI's jewelry manufacturing, which I think went from here straight to China/SE Asia 😣)

Again, much appreciate these insights 🤝

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sandsonik t1_iut6tx0 wrote

It was much bigger. Providence's population was 253k in 1940. Post WWII, there was a huge move towards the suburbs. By 1980, Providence population was only 156k. It has grown slowly since then, but is still not up to where it was 100 years ago.

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420foreverandalways t1_iuoygrk wrote

You can see a map from 1939 here: https://ridemgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=a2960d1a022e4dccaab14aa4a58f5d45

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If a railroad isn't where a highway currently is, then you can be sure a disenfranchised neighborhood (usually Black) was demolished to make room for the highway. This pdf has some descriptions of a neighborhood destroyed during urban renewal. http://www.upparts.org/uploads/4/5/8/2/45820603/01-a_brief_history_of_urban_renewal_and_displacement_in_the_former_west_elmwood_neighborhood.pdf

​

So, you can clearly see 195 more or less follows an arterial that was already there, (plus some collatoral damage to what I think was Cape Verdean at the time). I-95 follows the rail at some points. Then you can be sure those neighborhoods it cuts through are Black or Chinese or Narragansett, etc.)

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bartolo345 t1_iup99iz wrote

And why 895 was never built

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_895_(Rhode_Island%E2%80%93Massachusetts)

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pvdjay t1_iuto4va wrote

An interstate along Nayatt Rd. LMAO. Never stood a chance! It’s super cool that there are some remnants of the second plan. I’ve always wondered what’s up with the stubs at the end of 295 @ 95 and at the end of the Newport Bridge access road in Newport. Thanks for posting!

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ananda_yogi t1_iuqz31y wrote

Exactly this, there are probably many reasons why the highway was built where it was, but its no accident that 195 and 95 went around the wealthiest areas of the East End, essentially cutting through and cutting off already disenfranchised neighborhoods.

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kbd77 t1_iup8fbz wrote

Segregation by Design is a wonderful resource for this kind of history. I cannot recommend their research and storytelling enough. The Mount Hope section of that link is especially worth reading.

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Brotendo88 t1_iup310d wrote

The short answer is capitalism and racism. Poor, immigrant, and Black neighborhoods were bulldozed to make way for the highways.

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Jmac3366 t1_iuqm2s7 wrote

Part of it is that but the larger reason was to have direct access to the port of providence which at the time was much more important than today

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ananda_yogi t1_iuqzi2c wrote

I would argue the former is actually a very large reason and it shouldn't be disregarded. It's fairly obvious how the East end is completely blocked off from poorer neighborhoods via the highway.

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cowperthwaite t1_iupgej9 wrote

The Providence Journal had a short series on this.

https://www.providencejournal.com/in-depth/news/local/2022/08/11/interstate-95-rhode-island-providence-displacement-traffic-history/7785716001/

https://www.providencejournal.com/in-depth/news/2022/08/11/fox-point-providence-ri-route-195-displacement-history-construction/10148225002/

https://www.providencejournal.com/in-depth/news/2022/08/11/rhode-island-highways-traffic-mitigation-climate-change-vehicle-emissions/10226034002/

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suchmann t1_iup6m4i wrote

I have a similar question about the university heights development in the Mt Hope area of the east side so if anyone has any links or a info please send them my way!

(Sorry if this is tangential just seemed like the people in this thread might know)

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kbd77 t1_iup8slr wrote

I posted this elsewhere in the thread, but just saw your comment – here’s a great resource that features Providence extensively with a focus on Mount Hope.

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FrutaFertil t1_iv474j3 wrote

Here’s what I found to be a really good read from folks who lived there: https://www.stagesoffreedom.org/lippitt-hill-project

I was wondering a few days ago when the Whole Foods in the plaza was opened and then just fell down the rabbit hole. Gentrification in this neighborhood has been a point of tension for longer than a lot of us have been alive.

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split-top_gaming t1_iuqv8we wrote

The S curve, the reason it goes through south Providence...

Notice it doesn't go through the east side?

The government would have to put up more of a fight taking land from wealthy land owners to put up the highway. Putting it through lower socioeconomic zones means there was less of a legal fight. The S curve isn't just not to knock down building for nothing - connected businesses made sure the highway went around them.

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frenetix t1_iurnc2z wrote

> Notice it doesn't go through the east side?

It follows the already-established railroad tracks from the Pawtucket border to downtown Providence. What alignment through the East Side would have made better sense?

Looking at the current maps, it does look like the little neighborhood around Charles and Randall St. could have been spared if they continued to route I95 on the other side of the post office, to keep it more closely aligned with the train tracks there.

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split-top_gaming t1_iusi3ba wrote

The trend is noticeable both inside and outside of Rhode island - highways are built through low-income communities rather than high-income neighborhoods.

Even if not discussing 95... Highways in general. It would negatively impact property values so wealthy property owners would fight for their property.

Poorer residents don't have the resources to do the same.

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katieleehaw t1_iurha9p wrote

There are a lot of unfortunate reasons for many highway placements that have more to do with segregating areas of cities than with actual infrastructure needs. It's pretty ugly when you dig into it.

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rocket42236 t1_iurhrko wrote

From my understanding is that originally providence was supposed to be bypassed. 95 would have gone from Groton and then the existing rt 395 to Boston… RI made an argument that the existing military facilities at the now non military quonset Point needed to be connected to the network. I am pretty sure that the current 295 was supposed to be the original 95 through RI, and then another argument was made that the jewelry district needed access to the highway so then it was going to be current rt 10, but then an argument was made that the port of providence needed to be connected, so we got the Thurber’s ave s curve….I could be wrong but that is the story that I had heard…imagine if to get to 95 you had to take rt 6 or rt 44 to get out of RI?

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DCLexiLou t1_ius2o1i wrote

The S curves through Pawtucket exist thanks to political power held by wealthy and influential landowners. The To Kalon Club and the mansion that at one time in recent past was the Children's Museum were just a couple of the properties involved.

Also, operating and still profitable mills were in the path and would not be readily demolished due to economic impact.

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Namenaki_IV t1_iuspjtz wrote

If you believe the guy i work with, his grandfather designed it. I asked if he was still living, he said no. I asked where his grave site was, but he wouldn't tell me.

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