Greater City Providence

Traffic changes coming to Exchange Terrace

exchange-terrace

From the City:


Changes to Traffic Pattern around Kennedy Plaza Beginning December 22

The City of Providence today announced upcoming changes to the traffic pattern on Exchange Terrace. Beginning Monday morning, December 22, Exchange Terrace (East Approach to Exchange Street) will be changed to accommodate 2-way traffic. The remainder of Exchange Terrace will allow two-way traffic later in 2015 when improvements to Emmitt Square are completed.

In preparation for this change, the southern portion of Exchange Terrace (East Approach to Exchange St.) will be barreled off Thursday morning, December 18, to allow westbound traffic to become used to driving on the northern part of Exchange Terrace prior to the switch.

There is a variable message board facing the westbound approach at the Exchange Street/Steeple St. intersection alerting motorists of the change in traffic pattern.

Greater City Providence

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12 comments

  • Always encouraging to see multi-lane/wide 1-way streets become 2-way. I hope in the near future that some of the 4 lane 2-way streets in Providence, such as Broad St., get protected bike lanes or at least regular bike lanes. If Providence ever gets a bikeshare system, there needs to be a very significant improvement in the city’s bike infrastructure.

  • Great, Kennedy Plaza opens and the panhandlers take back over. The new mayoral administration needs to nip this one in the bud before it gets back to the way it was prior to the construction happening. Arrest all panhandlers on the spot, transport them out to a processing facility on the other side of town, and make them pay for transportation back (repeat). Just do something. Kennedy Plaza was a cess pool before this construction started.

  • Yeah, KCB your comment isn’t just awful, it’s also illegal. Great way to get the city sued and add to the deficit. I also disagree with your assessment of Kennedy Plaza.

    Anyhow, the reason I actually came to comment was that I’m glad this is happening, because I hope the two-way change will slow people down who currently speed down Exchange, constantly disregarding that they have to stop for pedestrians crossing near the RI Foundation – I’ve only had my life threatened once, and it was by a driver who didn’t like that my crossing the street meant that he had to stop.

  • Its a city, there are panhandlers – theres already an ordinance on “aggressive panhandling”. Lets finds ways to better include every citizen, poor, wealthy, disabled and healthy. Offering a space where we can celebrate this diversity than be afraid of it, I believe, is where the Greater KP project helps to jump start this civic opening.

    Moving forward: I’d like to see more lighting, signage, traffic slowing measures, ped and cyclist safety improvements on Exchange Terrace and a traffic signal at Exchange and Washington.

    Do we know if that block of Washington between Exchange and Memorial also become two-way in the future? Seems a little cumbersome if that block is one-way only to terminate at Exchange.

    Also is it odd that the city would open the terrace with two-way traffic mid-way and not just wait to do the entire thing at once?

  • I had no idea you could only panhandle on 2 way streets. I’m glad KCB cleared this up.

    Are they reworking the steeple/exchange intersection at all? Its always been confusing as hell.

  • The caption in the journal article also mentions Greene street going two way. Probably between Broad and Washington.

  • Kennedy plaza was full of homeless/panhandlers and people thinking that this recent construction will change things is shortsighted. I understand that the homelessness is part of a bigger problem, but it also drives away business and industry from this area.
    Why would a company want to move to the superman building when there are dozens of panhandlers and homeless walking around the plaza?

    I believe this is only the beginning for the plaza’s improvement. The new city adminstration will need to come up with a solution to handling the homelessness.

  • Does anyone else think it’s ironic that they’re touting this 2-way change while simultaneously opening 2 new streets (Friendship & Clifford) that are striped for 2-lane 1-way speedy travel? I don’t live in Providence anymore, but as a resident of one of its outlying communities, I still have a strong interest in its success. Both of these new streets should have been 2-way, and at least one of them should have had a protected bike lane incorporated.

  • Oh, well that explains it.. When I was a kid, there was a big sign on Route 4 in North Kingstown for roadwork that said “THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE – RIDOT.” My 10-year old brain read RIDOT as IDIOT, and I can’t say I disagree with it 25 years later.

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