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Project Profiles

Iway (I-195 Relocation Project)


Location	Providence, Rhode Island
Project Sponsor / Borrower	Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT)
Program Areas
Mode	Highway / Bridge
Description	Iway is comprised of 16 individual projects to relocate a 45-year-old 1.6-mile stretch of I-195 and an adjacent 0.8-mile portion of I-95 through Providence. The highway is being relocated 2,000 feet to the south of its current alignment and outside the barrier which protects the 350-year-old city from hurricane flooding. The project includes 14 new bridges with a 1,200-foot, 8-lane mainline bridge over the Providence River, 25 lane-miles of new interstate, a new interchange with I-95, five miles of new city streets, and 4,100 feet of new pedestrian river walks. In addition, removal of the existing interstate is freeing up 20 acres of prime downtown real estate. The mainline Iway Bridge (Providence River Bridge) has garnered national attention for its construction innovation. The bridge was largely constructed offsite to avoid more complicated barge-based construction and to allow simultaneous construction of its concrete foundation. The bridge was floated 12 miles into place in August 2006.
Cost	$610 million
Funding Sources	GARVEE bonds Motor Fuel Tax Revenue bonds
Project Delivery / Contract Method	Design-Build
Private Partner	None
Project Advisors / Consultants	Maguire Group Inc. - Prime consultant Cardi Corp. - Prime contractor
Lenders	Bondholders
Duration / Status	In late October 2009, the last highway segment of the relocated interchange opened to traffic. All new roads, bridges and ramps were in use at the end of 2010. The previous infrastructure will be demolished and the land ready for reuse (including the construction of additional city streets) by late 2012.
Financial Status	Closed
Innovations	Part of Rhode Island's multiyear bonding strategy coupling GARVEE bonds to fund the Federal-aid eligible portion of certain project costs with Motor Fuel Tax Revenue bonds to finance the state share of project costs National recognition for its unique approach constructing the Iway Bridge offsite and floating it into place Widest and first three-arch network arch bridge in the U.S.; first with a skew angle in the world America's Transportation Award Winner (Northeast Association of State Transportation Officials): Large Project - Innovative Management
Related Links / Articles	I-195 Project Site AASHTO Press Release - America's Transportation Award New York Times article on project's planned reuse of land (November 11, 2009) Project History
Contacts	Dana Nolfe Communications - Chief Public Affairs Officer (401) 222-1362 dnolfe@dot.ri.gov