Submitted by HistoricalDocument11 t3_yjng5i in providence
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.
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.
frenetix t1_iurk5uv wrote
There are still places where you can see where parts of the connecting roads are still visible. Like at the 93/128 interchange, and the 3/128 interchange in Burlington, and the offramps to nowhere on the elevated highway north of Boston.
We've got these in Rhode Island, like at the eastern side of the Henderson Bridge, and the Rte 1/138 interchange.
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?
bigbadape t1_iuqxvpn wrote
Slower growth
clboisvert14 t1_iusjrmd wrote
That and more appeal from very close areas like new york and boston.
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.
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 🤝
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.
RandomChurn t1_iut72zz wrote
Wow! Had no idea it was once so much bigger
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