Route 6-10 interchange redesign unveiled

STATE AND city officials on Thursday unveiled the redesign of the Route 6-10 interchange in Providence. Here are some of the changes that were discussed. / COURTESY R.I. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
STATE AND city officials on Thursday unveiled the redesign of the Route 6-10 interchange in Providence. Here are some of the changes that were discussed. / COURTESY R.I. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

(Updated 4:28 p.m.)
PROVIDENCE – State and city officials on Thursday unveiled the redesign of the Route 6-10 interchange in Providence, altering a plan originally proposed by the state five months ago, but falling short of an alternative design advocated for on behalf of the city.
The interchange, known as the “6-10 connector,” is a tangled knot of roadways where Route 6 from the west meets Route 10 from the south and together run about 1.6 miles northeast to Interstate 95 in downtown Providence.
The new design – introduced at a joint press conference held at the R.I. Department of Administration – embraces several new elements, including a direct connection between Route 10 North and Route 6 West, new pedestrian and bicycle routes, a revamp of the Huntingdon Viaduct and the elimination and altering of some on ramps.

Gov. Gina M. Raimondo and Mayor Jorge O. Elorza sat beside each other and characterized the new conceptual design as a collaboration that will improve both safety and traffic flow in the area.

Raimondo emphasized that the project will be completed within the same $400 million budget initially envisioned for the 6-10 remake, and within the same time frame. That was later identified by R.I. Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti Jr. as a five-year span.

“Everyone stepped up,” Raimondo told reporters. “We didn’t have a year or two to come up with a perfect design. We had a couple of months.”

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Elorza said the new plan was a collaborative effort that will allow the state and city to reunite neighborhoods in Providence separated for 60 years. “We came up with something we can all be very, very proud of,” he said.

The new design includes a dedicated set of lanes that will allow Route 10 travelers heading north to shift on to Route 6 west, eliminating the need for these vehicles to use local Providence roads to complete that move, as is now the case.

Federal highway authorities will have to approve the new design, including through an environmental impact review, according to Alviti.

Carlos C. Machado, a division administrator for the Federal Highway Administration, attended the press conference. When asked by a reporter whether the new plan would receive federal approval, he said he would need more specific information.

The plans are conceptual at this point and will be fleshed out in more detail soon, said Alviti.

How to redesign the 6-10 connector has been a hot-button issue since September when Raimondo proposed a repair and replace plan to fix the old and deteriorating roadways. Her plan, however, evoked outrage from city and neighborhood advocates, who argued the arcane design unfairly divides and isolates many of the city’s more impoverished neighborhoods.
The city then proposed its own plan much different than the state’s, including such elements as a narrowed parkway, new on- and off-ramps, an elevated roundabout and the reclaiming of about 55 acres of land for new development.
The now-agreed upon plan incorporates some of the city’s ideas, but falls short in other areas, as it doesn’t include a roundabout, new on or off ramps, and reclaims about 4.8 acres of land through the elimination of a Plainfield Street ramp and the revamping of a Harris Avenue on ramp.
The city and state have been meeting regularly since October.
“I commend my team at [R.I. Department of Transportation], Mayor Elorza and the many stakeholders whose input has helped to produce a 6-10 interchange design to serve the needs of all Rhode Islanders,” Raimondo said in prepared remarks.
Likewise, Elorza lauded the plan.
“This design meets many of the goals laid out during several community meetings and the final product was certainly enhanced because of it. Not only does it improve mobility throughout the entire stretch, but it also better connects neighborhoods, builds a dedicated bike lane, opens up developable land and incorporates better urban design,” he said.
The most notable change is the direct connection between Route 10 North and Route 6 West. Currently, motorists traveling north on Route 10 must exit the highway to traverse local roads through the Olneyville neighborhood to reach Route 6 West. The new design, however, allows motorists to exit Route 10 North at Westminster Street and bear left around a newly constructed hairpin turn that wraps around to Route 6 West. Designers of the new plan say the modification will reduce long-existing traffic congestion in Olneyville.
Also new: 1.4 miles of bike lanes, which will be added to the widened Westminster Street overpass and a newly rebuilt Tobey Street overpass.
The state will also demolish and replace half of the deteriorating Huntingdon Viaduct with surface roads, which will run under Westminster Street. The state says this change will not disrupt current traffic patterns.
Finally, the new plan calls for improved aesthetics to “create a signature entranceway to Providence from Route 6 and 10.”
The 6-10 connector is a main roadway for people traveling in and out of the city, as it connects Rhode Island suburbia with downtown Providence. The state estimates about 100,000 motorists travel it each day.
Raimondo expects construction to begin next fall and RIDOT says it plans to seek additional federal funding for additional improvements requested by the city, including the reconfiguration of the Dean Street on-ramp.
“Finally, after 30 years, we are going to rebuild the 6-10 Interchange within the budget the legislature gave us,” said Alviti in prepared remarks. “We will create a new infrastructure to improve the flow of traffic, give drivers the missing move to 6 West, and modify the geometry of the roads to make driving easier and eliminate the challenges people now face.”

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