9 replies to this topic

[oak]

I'm sick of sitting through horrible traffic on 95 South caused by the road construction north of the 146 merge and creeping down to the Atwells Ave exit.    What alternate routes could I use to get to the Armory from one of the exits off 95 from the north of the City?  I always get turned around at Branch and Mineral Spring and I know there has to be a better way.  THANKS!

[basachs]

oak, on May 31 2007, 10:45 AM, said:

I'm sick of sitting through horrible traffic on 95 South caused by the road construction north of the 146 merge and creeping down to the Atwells Ave exit.    What alternate routes could I use to get to the Armory from one of the exits off 95 from the north of the City?  I always get turned around at Branch and Mineral Spring and I know there has to be a better way.  THANKS!

We are in the same commuting hell. I usually get off at North Main and go through the city. The Branch Ave exit is a pain and is usually more backed up than the N. Main one. I have timed the two, and N Main consistently beats it out.

Edited by basachs, 31 May 2007 - 08:52 AM.

[runawayjim]

depending on where you're coming from, you could take 295 to route 7 into the city (it's exit 8 off 295).  it's only about 10 minutes down 7 from 295 until you get to the providence college area.  douglas ave (or route 7) ends at orms st just east of smith.

[basachs]

runawayjim, on May 31 2007, 11:17 AM, said:

depending on where you're coming from, you could take 295 to route 7 into the city (it's exit 8 off 295).  it's only about 10 minutes down 7 from 295 until you get to the providence college area.  douglas ave (or route 7) ends at orms st just east of smith.

I have done that way as I can take 295 from 95 in MA. Way too long. Getting from the PC area to the Armory is an annoying ride as well, at least to me. The stop/starts and local traffic adds up.

My wife tells me I am rather impatient though behind the wheel. I like to keep moving.

[runawayjim]

basachs, on May 31 2007, 12:34 PM, said:

I have done that way as I can take 295 from 95 in MA. Way too long. Getting from the PC area to the Armory is an annoying ride as well, at least to me. The stop/starts and local traffic adds up.

My wife tells me I am rather impatient though behind the wheel. I like to keep moving.

they shoudl build a bridge over providence into the armory district.  

if you take douglas straight down to orms it's actually not that bad.  you can then take orms directly across smith and it turns into valley st, and so long as you don't turn left onto dean, the traffic isn't that bad.  i've driven through that way a few times during rush hour.

i've come to expect sitting in traffic and at lights (my license plate frame says "slave to the traffic light" and while it's mainly because it's a phish song, it is true as well)... so i just roll down the windows, turn up the music and relax.... until the light decides it's never going to change and then i have to run it.

[oak]

basachs, on May 31 2007, 12:34 PM, said:

I have done that way as I can take 295 from 95 in MA. Way too long. Getting from the PC area to the Armory is an annoying ride as well, at least to me. The stop/starts and local traffic adds up.

My wife tells me I am rather impatient though behind the wheel. I like to keep moving.

I agree with you.  I keep wishing for a north-south route similar to Hope Street on the west side of the City.  I exit Hope Street and cut across town sometimes, but it seems like there has to be a better way - like a route that would easily connect from 95 to Academy and follow that to Atwells.  I can't seem to make a mental geography of the neighborhoods around Branch/Smith/PC/RIC on the northwest side and think how they connect to the westside.

[Liamlunchtray]

basachs, on May 31 2007, 12:34 PM, said:

I have done that way as I can take 295 from 95 in MA. Way too long. Getting from the PC area to the Armory is an annoying ride as well, at least to me. The stop/starts and local traffic adds up.

My wife tells me I am rather impatient though behind the wheel. I like to keep moving.

Why not 95s to 295s to 6e? That brings you right to broadway

[runawayjim]

oak, on May 31 2007, 01:03 PM, said:

I agree with you.  I keep wishing for a north-south route similar to Hope Street on the west side of the City.  I exit Hope Street and cut across town sometimes, but it seems like there has to be a better way - like a route that would easily connect from 95 to Academy and follow that to Atwells.  I can't seem to make a mental geography of the neighborhoods around Branch/Smith/PC/RIC on the northwest side and think how they connect to the westside.

for PC to connect, you have to go river to valley or dean.  for RIC, you just take mount pleasant, which connects to smith (which is another alternative... take 295 south to exit 7 and take 44 to mount pleasant or woonasquatucket (which goes from the center of north providence down to the manton stop and shop), but that overshoots by a bit, although 44 into providence isn't bad trafficwise in the afternoon rush hour.

academy just sort of ends in the middle of a residential neighborhood in elmhurst (about 2 blocks from where i used to live).  it's such a major road and then just stops.  i wish it continued north.

douglas is sort of a central north-south road from smith hill to northern RI, and the traffic on it isn't bad except near the 95 south ramp.

[basachs]

Liamlunchtray, on May 31 2007, 01:09 PM, said:

Why not 95s to 295s to 6e? That brings you right to broadway

It does indeed. But when you look at the map you see that 295s arcs so much through Lincoln and Smithfield, that it really takes you out of the way. It takes less time to sit in that traffic on 95 and get to the Atwells exit than to fly down 295s with no traffic.

I remember doing it once or twice when traffic was really bad and I did not know any better.

You could also take 95s to 295s to 146 and get off before the traffic get really bad. But lately it backs up really far north and you run into the same issue of it taking more time to avoid the traffic than just sitting in it.

[Liamlunchtray]

Im lucky that my commute is to south county - Im heading opposite of traffic both ways. The only backup I ever get is between Jefferson Blvd and Rt10 on 95n. Once I hop on Rt10 its smooth sailing.