Opinions
Okay here's the part where I ramble on about the situation of RI highways.
As of October 1999. The I-195 relocation is on. There starting to knock down buildings to make way for the highway. The state says it will be done by about 2004-2006. Work has also finished at Exit 22. The Providence Place mall access is finished and the mall is opened.
Okay I know what the opinion is in Warwick and Barrington residents but a bridge there would vastly help traffic. It would considerably ease traffic on I-195 by being able to bypass Downtown Providence. It would be easy to route through Warwick with little property damage. Barrington would be harder but could be done. If that can't be done, they can always go through East Providence. About a dollar toll could be set on it and it would make lots of money for the state.
To alleviate the traffic problems one of the original I-895 ideas could be used. They could do the Burma Parkway idea and run an expressway/ parkway along the western coast of Aquidneck Island. It would definitely help Portsmouth and Middletown traffic on SR 114 and SR 138. It takes about 20-30 minutes to get through Portsmouth and Middletown to the Newport Bridge now. It could be reduced to 10-15 minutes with a parkway. It would reduce traffic through Portsmouth and Middletown roads making them safer.
Extending the Henderson Bridge Approach Highway would help I-195 traffic in Providence. It would be relatively easy also. The houses are already cleared all the way Pawtucket Ave. and it would be little more to extend it to Taunton Ave. It would make it much easier to reach Providence's East End, without going through the Broadway St.-Waterman Ave.-Taunton Ave. Six Corners mess.
I-84 is looking more and more like a reality. The state of Rhode Island announced they are looking into making a 4 lane parkway sort of thing from I-395 in Connecticut. This would make a shorter trip to Hartford and finally put an end to the reliance on "Suicide Six" as the means to Eastern Connecticut. The state thinks they have a way of doing this without effecting the Scituate Reservoir. It would attract more traffic into Providence and ultimately help commerce.