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Early construction has begun on a project to replace New Bedford’s aging I-195/Route 18 interchange, with work expected to last through 2030.
Two lanes of traffic in each direction will stay open on I-195 during construction, but long-term ramp closures will start as early as next month.
The interchange, built in 1965, was built to design standards that are outdated today, according to a MassDOT spokesperson. It includes five bridges that state transportation officials deem to be in poor condition and “obsolete.”
“The interchange functions poorly due to short or nonexistent acceleration and deceleration lanes,” project manager Valerie Kilduff said at a public meeting in June.
Plans for the new interchange — downtown’s key connection to the region’s expressways — aim to make it safer, with wider, longer merge lanes and longer ramps. The new design will be built to current standards, which account for current and projected future traffic volume, according to MassDOT spokesperson John Goggin.
For example, the acceleration lane for cars merging onto I-195 westbound from Route 18 northbound will be extended from 550 feet to 2,000 feet.
“This will improve the ability of vehicles to accelerate and then merge onto I-195 westbound rather [than] quickly changing lanes as soon as they can, as occurs today,” Goggin wrote in an email to The Light.
A deceleration lane will be added to the exit from I-195 eastbound to Route 18 southbound and the exit from Route 18 northbound to I-195 westbound. Full shoulders will also be added to all entrances and exits for drivers who need to pull over in emergencies.
There have been 414 crashes in the project area since 2015, including two fatalities, according to state transportation data. About one-fifth of the accidents happened on one of the ramps. State maps do not identify the interchange as a crash hotspot.
The replacement project also includes plans to improve the quality of life for the neighborhood around the interchange. A 35-foot-tall noise barrier will be erected on the north side of I-195 along Cedar Grove Street. The area under and around the interchange will be landscaped into a park, with a skate park and paths for pedestrians and cyclists.
Local ramps will beat official detours by miles
In September, the ramps connecting Route 18 with I-195 westbound are scheduled to close — specifically, that means the I-195 westbound ramp to Route 18 southbound (exit 26) and the Route 18 northbound ramp to I-195 westbound.
The ramps will stay closed through October 2027. Drivers will still be able to get on and off I-195 using other North End ramps at Coggeshall, Penniman, Cedar Grove, and Washburn streets, though they don’t connect directly to Route 18.
Those local ramps offer much better alternate routes than two official detours in planning documents. At times during construction, drivers getting on I-195 westbound or off I-195 eastbound will be directed to take a 13-mile detour to Mattapoisett and back, planning documents show.
MassDOT is required to keep detours on state highways and avoid using local roads, an agency spokesperson said last year. The Route 240 interchange in Fairhaven can’t be used because it would require drivers to make a U-turn, causing backups and problems for trucks. The I-195/North Street interchange in Mattapoisett, exit 31B, is the closest option that keeps traffic off local roads.
Some overnight and midday detours are already in place for the streets around the interchange, as well as overnight ramp closures. MassDOT is sharing detour details in rolling updates on its construction page.
Also starting this fall, I-195 traffic will shift to a temporary configuration on the existing eastbound side so crews can replace the westbound side of the structure. That work will last through 2027, when traffic will shift onto the new westbound structure so crews can replace the east side.
The project is expected to be completed in spring 2030.
Email Grace Ferguson at gferguson@newbedfordlight.org.
How will this impact my taxes?
This will be fun
I am sure the Mayor is just worried on how this will affect the grand opening of the Z ! ! !