Back in the 1980s, RIDOT reviewed many plans to deal with the aging section of I-195 in Providence, which was built in the 1950s.
Along with having to complete numerous repairs on one of the busiest stretches of highway in Rhode Island, traffic volumes had increased tremendously over the years.
The highway designed for 75,000 vehicles a day now carries more than 160,000 cars daily.

The old design had other problems.
Tight curves, left-hand exits and closely spaced exits had contributed to excessive congestion on the highway, which spilled over onto adjacent highways, causing delays for motorists on I-95, the Route 6/10 connector, and on city streets.

As RIDOT worked on the Iway’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in the early 1990s, the highway’s problems were put to paper.
The EIS noted deteriorated bridges, substandard roadway alignments, sharp curves and substandard shoulder widths.
During the initial stages of the project, DOT worked on a joint project between the School of Architecture at ETH Zürich, and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Providence, Rhode Island to include studies of the Iway in their "Project Providence", an exploration of the city through computer visualization.

RIDOT looked at three alternatives before choosing the one that was built.
An alignment just to the north of the current highway was not selected as it would have corrected only the congestion and tight curves on I-195 itself.
It would not have dealt with the weaving motorists face due to closely spaced exits at the highway interchange, nor would it have addressed better access to the Eddy Street hospitals campus, and it would have created only limited opportunities for redevelopment as outlined in the Old Harbor Plan.
The plan outlines how the land occupied by the existing highway will be reused.

Another idea that was considered was a no-build alternative, one in which the existing alignment would be reconstructed.
This would have addressed problems with deteriorated structures, but done nothing about the congestion, weaving conflicts and existing safety hazards.
 Additionally, traffic would have been severely impacted during construction.

Consideration of these choices led RIDOT to choose the alignment south of the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier.
Safety problems and congestion issues could be addressed, and the removal of the old highway would allow for significant redevelopment of the Providence waterfront and fuller implementation of the Old Harbor Plan.
Also, the redevelopment would complement other projects including the construction of Memorial Boulevard, Waterplace Park and the Riverwalk system, and the Capital Center projects.
Back in the 1980s, RIDOT reviewed many plans to deal with the aging section of I-195 in Providence, which was built in the 1950s. Along with having to complete numerous repairs on one of the busiest stretches of highway in Rhode Island, traffic volumes had increased tremendously over the years. The highway designed for 75,000 vehicles a day now carries more than 160,000 cars daily.
The old design had other problems. Tight curves, left-hand exits and closely spaced exits had contributed to excessive congestion on the highway, which spilled over onto adjacent highways, causing delays for motorists on I-95, the Route 6/10 connector, and on city streets.
As RIDOT worked on the Iway’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in the early 1990s, the highway’s problems were put to paper. The EIS noted deteriorated bridges, substandard roadway alignments, sharp curves and substandard shoulder widths. During the initial stages of the project, DOT worked on a joint project between the School of Architecture at ETH Zürich, and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Providence, Rhode Island to include studies of the Iway in their "Project Providence", an exploration of the city through computer visualization.
RIDOT looked at three alternatives before choosing the one that was built. An alignment just to the north of the current highway was not selected as it would have corrected only the congestion and tight curves on I-195 itself. It would not have dealt with the weaving motorists face due to closely spaced exits at the highway interchange, nor would it have addressed better access to the Eddy Street hospitals campus, and it would have created only limited opportunities for redevelopment as outlined in the Old Harbor Plan. The plan outlines how the land occupied by the existing highway will be reused.
Another idea that was considered was a no-build alternative, one in which the existing alignment would be reconstructed. This would have addressed problems with deteriorated structures, but done nothing about the congestion, weaving conflicts and existing safety hazards.  Additionally, traffic would have been severely impacted during construction.
Consideration of these choices led RIDOT to choose the alignment south of the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier. Safety problems and congestion issues could be addressed, and the removal of the old highway would allow for significant redevelopment of the Providence waterfront and fuller implementation of the Old Harbor Plan. Also, the redevelopment would complement other projects including the construction of Memorial Boulevard, Waterplace Park and the Riverwalk system, and the Capital Center projects.
Iway