WOAH, Fall River must have some bad highways to drive on. First off, why does the speed limit have to drop to 45 on I-195 East right after Exit 4? Couldn't it stay on 65, or at least just drop to 60? Unless it's because of the bridge work. Second, for people that are following MA-24 North; if they wanna stay on the highway they would have to quickly get on the left lane in less than half a mile after merging onto 195 East. And finally, that interchange we saw in this video sure enough is a MESS.
The bridge painting is set to be complete by December 2011. Also, that double decker monstrosity is coming down soon, being replaced by a more street level boulevard type thing. Not quite sure how it's going to connect to the Braga but we'll see. Completetion date is 2014, which means in Massachusetts years, 2025.
It's actually in the process of being painted right now. They are now going with a mid level deep blue. And yeah, the road surface sux. Take it from a resident who uses it regularly.
I was born there in 1958. Trusdale hospital is gone now. BUT I must say, they must have raised the speed limit to 300 mph! You made that trip in 2 1/2 mins! Whoa! :)
Raised in RI but in the 70's it was my hang out.. Is Chish & Fips still around on the south end? China Royal? When you're in Fl all you think about is when food was actually good.
I'd like to see a video of someone walking the cat walk under the bridge. Always gave me a rush just to go under & see it...
Wiki says the last remodeling and painting of the bridge was in 1989/1990 but I could've sworn it was a couple years before. In fact they even have 1987 chisled in the concrete.
1:29 "This road surface is horrible!" Well whadiya expect? This is Massachusetts where they salt the living daylights out of the road surfaces in winter and the elevated sections are in worse conditions than the ground level sections -- simply because the salt gets at the rebars in the concrete and cause them to rust like mad. Be thankful those elevated sections were cement instead of asphalt, otherwise your axle coulkd have been broken on an elevated highway deck failure!
Nice video.Born in Fall River and lived there till I was 22 yrs old.It has changed quite a bit,but I will always feel that I was very lucky to grow up there in the 50'ts.It had it all back then,a bunch of movie houses downtown,swimming in the lake or bay.,Every night was like a saturday night downtown with great bands playing at the "Buck of Blood" Copa Lounge,the Naraganset Room,the Old Tap,and sailors and cops everywhere.
lived here my whole life and the saddest part is the name fall river comes from the quecechan river water falls that the state put into conduits because the bridge and the double deck structure are right on top of it the narrows dissapeared as well we have the only city hall that floats over the highway now wich is even sadder they tore down a giant gothic granite city hall to build that peice of crap over the highway...this state is so backwards
When you were on Davol St. and you stopped before turning right on central st. you weren't supposed to stop : ) Lol good video though I work as a delivery driver in that area and i use that part of davol st. all the time and yes Route 79 is total trash. Anyway I really liked the video excellent job.
I lived in Pawtucket in the late 90s. Oftentimes drove on this part of 195, but never had a chance to really see this multi-decker interchange as you did, FJ. Except for driving on this Rte. 138 part of roadway a few times, I would normally drive through the tunnel out to the other end.
Nice video. You think massachusetts roads are bad, come drive around chicago. Bring extra money with you, you will need it for tire repairs and front end alignments and buy an extra rim too. Drive downtown Chicago!!
There are alot of reasons why fall rivers roads and particular the braga bridge and the 79 deck system are so bad.First off if the state has funneled off money for years that was supposed to be used to pay for the resurfacing towards the big dig.second,because of politics fall river wont get much money to begin with it. because boston thinks fr is the armpit of the state.third most of the braga and 79 is concrete which is expensive and time consuming to replace.
Freeway Jim. I gotta agree with you good buddy. Fall River's roads are in dreadful shape. I took a road test in downtown FR with all the potholes and shit. Needless to say I flunked it and had to wait 4 months to take it again, which I did in Brockton, MA. and passed it. Of course State Police administer the tests and the FR guy was a jerk. I just pass Fall River on the Interstate, that's it. A total dump!!
Lived on Lincoln Ave from 74-77. Still have nightrmares of either failing off or being blown off this Bridge. I also love the Mt Hope Bay Bridge. Both these bridges are old school. "Sorta miss the "Old Green Monster". Thanks for posting this.
I live in Fall River, What a toilet cant wait to get out..In my heart nothing would be finer or dearer then to see Fall River Mass. in my rear view mirror..
@Fanik8 I remember talking to the MASSDPW district engineer who was overseeing the reno. he was a good guy, I thought the reno would last 30 years. Looks like the paint job done back then flaked off leaving behind nothing but rust!
Thanks for posting! I've driven over the bridge about 20 times on my way from PVD to NewPT (to save the toll) but I never knew that that ugly double decker (?) highway was there. Great find!
I'm not quite sure why Mass. has such a road maintenance problem. With the taxes they collect from their citizens - you should be able to eat off of those roads. I visited some family in Western MA last month and I don't understand how anybody keeps their suspension intact. Where I live in Northern VA we don't have the greatest roads in the world but at least I can drive around here without the prospect of busting an axle. And I don't buy the Winter weather excuse because CT has decent roads.
@Freewayjim It is the weather dude. Salt, Big time. That's all they use up there when it snows. I agree, New Hampshire does have good roads and they don't get used as much. I live in Texas now and everything here seems brand new when it comes to highways and roads in general. But I'll be up in Mass in a week and cool off a bit. Might make it up to Mt Washington if I have the time. Miss that Mt.
One more thing, why is it that this song reminds me of The Killers? It's almost like the singer of Gran Ronde has a voice totally like Brandon Flowers(lead singer)! Sheesh....
It's getting to the point where I think they are just tearing up the roads to screw with us drivers... It's really rediculous...I95 is being repaved as we speak.
It's not just the roads in Fall River that are bad. It's the whole state!! They are constantly doing roadwork, and when they go to repave, they do a shitty job. I think they should just make all the roads in Mass dirt.. It's not like it would make a difference lol...
I dunno what the planners were thinking, back in those days, but that highway is a terrible eyesore thru the center of town! I hope when the time comes to rebuild the structure, that they make it at least more eye-pleasing.
I'm hoping to release my 401 video of Toronto, soon. Still in the process of annotating it. Might not release it for a couple more days.
Thanks Brent, I explored that interchange in-depth on an earlier trip, it's just plain odd, granted there was not alot of room to work with and it's on the side of a hill with a large bridge to connect to.
As far as I know the speed limit is down for that part of 195 for the work on the Goverment Center Tunnel (which is supposed to be finished in January, HA!)
The way you see everything in that video is exactly as I've seen it for my entire life that bridge has always needed painting and will probably never get it.
I <3 New England
roswellatup 1 week ago
WOAH, Fall River must have some bad highways to drive on. First off, why does the speed limit have to drop to 45 on I-195 East right after Exit 4? Couldn't it stay on 65, or at least just drop to 60? Unless it's because of the bridge work. Second, for people that are following MA-24 North; if they wanna stay on the highway they would have to quickly get on the left lane in less than half a mile after merging onto 195 East. And finally, that interchange we saw in this video sure enough is a MESS.
benlonghighway 2 months ago
I wish it was that fast :)
Adam19822000 3 months ago
WTF!?: Why did I post the same comment twice.
superjta59 5 months ago
The Charles M. Braga Bridge definitely looks better today because it was recently repainted.
superjta59 5 months ago
The Charles M. Braga Bridge definitely looks better today because it was recently repainted.
superjta59 5 months ago
Me & My Dad went to Fall Rivers,Mass last week. like what Malmros 777 said. It's starting look better with bridge repainted in Navy Blue!
wert13d 6 months ago
lol that bridge is currently under construction and its being painted :)
Malmros777 6 months ago
Fall Rivers a shit hole take that ship and turn the cannons on the houses please!
Lanlegend08 6 months ago
i live in swansea right next to fall river i go over that bridge every day. they are now painting it blue. its about half way done
TheMoldyCarrot 7 months ago
The bridge painting is set to be complete by December 2011. Also, that double decker monstrosity is coming down soon, being replaced by a more street level boulevard type thing. Not quite sure how it's going to connect to the Braga but we'll see. Completetion date is 2014, which means in Massachusetts years, 2025.
ireallylikebaileys 8 months ago
That is a nice bridge in Fall River.
interstateruler 10 months ago
I rode through there last night the road surface was horrible
MrMbtaguy 1 year ago
It's actually in the process of being painted right now. They are now going with a mid level deep blue. And yeah, the road surface sux. Take it from a resident who uses it regularly.
jarathaxe 1 year ago
You ended up going past a really old cut cornered MA 138 "paddle sign" as you got closer to Battleship Cove. Nice vid!
signalkid1 1 year ago
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I was born there in 1958. Trusdale hospital is gone now. BUT I must say, they must have raised the speed limit to 300 mph! You made that trip in 2 1/2 mins! Whoa! :)
Raised in RI but in the 70's it was my hang out.. Is Chish & Fips still around on the south end? China Royal? When you're in Fl all you think about is when food was actually good.
I'd like to see a video of someone walking the cat walk under the bridge. Always gave me a rush just to go under & see it...
lee32435 1 year ago
Comment removed
lee32435 1 year ago
Wiki says the last remodeling and painting of the bridge was in 1989/1990 but I could've sworn it was a couple years before. In fact they even have 1987 chisled in the concrete.
Fanik8 1 year ago
1:29 "This road surface is horrible!" Well whadiya expect? This is Massachusetts where they salt the living daylights out of the road surfaces in winter and the elevated sections are in worse conditions than the ground level sections -- simply because the salt gets at the rebars in the concrete and cause them to rust like mad. Be thankful those elevated sections were cement instead of asphalt, otherwise your axle coulkd have been broken on an elevated highway deck failure!
EdM021 1 year ago
They're painting the bridge blue, although it will probably take years at the rate they're going. The road surface has sadly not improved
readinglts 1 year ago
Nice video.Born in Fall River and lived there till I was 22 yrs old.It has changed quite a bit,but I will always feel that I was very lucky to grow up there in the 50'ts.It had it all back then,a bunch of movie houses downtown,swimming in the lake or bay.,Every night was like a saturday night downtown with great bands playing at the "Buck of Blood" Copa Lounge,the Naraganset Room,the Old Tap,and sailors and cops everywhere.
bongo7654 1 year ago
@bongo7654 Thanks!
Freewayjim 1 year ago
I can't believe they're painting that bridge blue
Fanik8 1 year ago
@Fanik8 Battleship Gray was the way to go...
LiberalNoob 1 year ago
Bragga is getting painted blue as we speak
halfonit 1 year ago
It is called the Braga Bridge, I live in Fall River. They are repainting the bridge now actually.
cookies4u101 1 year ago
lived here my whole life and the saddest part is the name fall river comes from the quecechan river water falls that the state put into conduits because the bridge and the double deck structure are right on top of it the narrows dissapeared as well we have the only city hall that floats over the highway now wich is even sadder they tore down a giant gothic granite city hall to build that peice of crap over the highway...this state is so backwards
teamsterjeffrey 1 year ago
HEY I LIVE IN FALL RIVER
AND MY NAME IS JEANNETTE SILVIA!!!!!!! ^.^
RyuJen10 1 year ago
I read that Massachusetts is desiging a replacement for the route 79 viaduct
666sleeping 1 year ago
When you were on Davol St. and you stopped before turning right on central st. you weren't supposed to stop : ) Lol good video though I work as a delivery driver in that area and i use that part of davol st. all the time and yes Route 79 is total trash. Anyway I really liked the video excellent job.
darkmanx806 1 year ago
They're giving the bridge a new paint job! :D
deppkat 1 year ago
i was on that bridge last week. they were working on part of it over part of battleship cove.
ToonTownHuckleberry 1 year ago
I lived in Pawtucket in the late 90s. Oftentimes drove on this part of 195, but never had a chance to really see this multi-decker interchange as you did, FJ. Except for driving on this Rte. 138 part of roadway a few times, I would normally drive through the tunnel out to the other end.
StukInBuf 1 year ago
Nice video. You think massachusetts roads are bad, come drive around chicago. Bring extra money with you, you will need it for tire repairs and front end alignments and buy an extra rim too. Drive downtown Chicago!!
BNforever2009 1 year ago
that was a waste of tape, lol.
Fanik8 1 year ago
@Fanik8 -Nah, a large bridge and a unique albeit decrepit interchange, It was worth doing.
Freewayjim 1 year ago
I've never seen a MASSDPW guy do any actual work.
Adam19822000 1 year ago
urright . i live here and the roads are shit and ruin your car , its home but id move for sure
bobisbear 1 year ago
There are alot of reasons why fall rivers roads and particular the braga bridge and the 79 deck system are so bad.First off if the state has funneled off money for years that was supposed to be used to pay for the resurfacing towards the big dig.second,because of politics fall river wont get much money to begin with it. because boston thinks fr is the armpit of the state.third most of the braga and 79 is concrete which is expensive and time consuming to replace.
wyattjameson 2 years ago
Freeway Jim. I gotta agree with you good buddy. Fall River's roads are in dreadful shape. I took a road test in downtown FR with all the potholes and shit. Needless to say I flunked it and had to wait 4 months to take it again, which I did in Brockton, MA. and passed it. Of course State Police administer the tests and the FR guy was a jerk. I just pass Fall River on the Interstate, that's it. A total dump!!
Fanik8 2 years ago
Nice man! I lived there in 2000 for 1 year! . Thanks! Whatching this video I remember like if it today.
Thanks. I really miss that city
tusgavobh 2 years ago
Lived in Fall River on London St. from '93-'03. Glad were not there anymore and at the same time miss it...
280zx2005 2 years ago
Lived on Lincoln Ave from 74-77. Still have nightrmares of either failing off or being blown off this Bridge. I also love the Mt Hope Bay Bridge. Both these bridges are old school. "Sorta miss the "Old Green Monster". Thanks for posting this.
tjp623 2 years ago
i fuckin love fall river. representin diman regional voke tech
metalfab16 2 years ago
screw diman durfee all day
JaySooz508 2 years ago
Durfee sucks balls, I wish I went to Diman
ChillinwithaBowl420 2 years ago
I live in Fall River, What a toilet cant wait to get out..In my heart nothing would be finer or dearer then to see Fall River Mass. in my rear view mirror..
ccg1171 2 years ago
Freeway Jim. The last renovation of this bridge was in 1987. My how time passes. I remember when it was freshly painted.
Fanik8 2 years ago
@Fanik8 I remember talking to the MASSDPW district engineer who was overseeing the reno. he was a good guy, I thought the reno would last 30 years. Looks like the paint job done back then flaked off leaving behind nothing but rust!
EdM021 1 year ago
Jim;
I went over this bridge in 1980 enroute to Cape Cod. Glad you made this video! GREAT JOB!
reiltations 2 years ago
Thanks for posting! I've driven over the bridge about 20 times on my way from PVD to NewPT (to save the toll) but I never knew that that ugly double decker (?) highway was there. Great find!
essigmw 2 years ago
Thanks, I explored every bit of it a few years ago, it's truly a unique interchange.
Freewayjim 2 years ago
I'm not quite sure why Mass. has such a road maintenance problem. With the taxes they collect from their citizens - you should be able to eat off of those roads. I visited some family in Western MA last month and I don't understand how anybody keeps their suspension intact. Where I live in Northern VA we don't have the greatest roads in the world but at least I can drive around here without the prospect of busting an axle. And I don't buy the Winter weather excuse because CT has decent roads.
vogtste 2 years ago
NH has great roads so I don't think it's the weather, I have a feeling Mass uses the money for "other" things.
Freewayjim 2 years ago
@Freewayjim It is the weather dude. Salt, Big time. That's all they use up there when it snows. I agree, New Hampshire does have good roads and they don't get used as much. I live in Texas now and everything here seems brand new when it comes to highways and roads in general. But I'll be up in Mass in a week and cool off a bit. Might make it up to Mt Washington if I have the time. Miss that Mt.
tjp623 1 year ago
we have to pay off the $14Billion dollar project a.k.a Big D.jim has the video of it,thats where most of the money goes.
Tha89Kid 2 years ago
That bridge is in really sorry shape, that's for sure! Gimme a Pittsburgh or Cincinnati freeway bridge any day, over this monstrosity......
prfsnlwannabe 2 years ago
One more thing, why is it that this song reminds me of The Killers? It's almost like the singer of Gran Ronde has a voice totally like Brandon Flowers(lead singer)! Sheesh....
prfsnlwannabe 2 years ago
It's getting to the point where I think they are just tearing up the roads to screw with us drivers... It's really rediculous...I95 is being repaved as we speak.
integgy95 2 years ago
It's not just the roads in Fall River that are bad. It's the whole state!! They are constantly doing roadwork, and when they go to repave, they do a shitty job. I think they should just make all the roads in Mass dirt.. It's not like it would make a difference lol...
integgy95 2 years ago
You are exactly right, with the only except being the new sections in Boston and they have issues with that too.
Freewayjim 2 years ago
Wow that looks ancient! I cant believe its only half a century old. Nice Vid!
They might want to check the gusset plates on that bridge. The steel looked just like that on the old 35W bridge.
eluko79 2 years ago
The speed limit's low like that in Montgomery, as I-65 is being widened and resurfaced.
I'm mad at the weaving you had to do. That's crazy.
Bryant5493 2 years ago
Woah! That was short! But nice video though, Even so, I wonder why that the road pavement is horrible at Fall River, Massachutsetts?
FSXTheGreat 2 years ago
Reminds Me of the I-64/U.S. 40 Double Decker In St. Louis which was also really poor urban planning principles...
And the turd green bridges are a thing of the past as wll even though they are still numerous in Atlanta
Tomahawkin17 2 years ago
Trust me, that section in St. Louis is much nicer :)
Freewayjim 2 years ago
2:03 LOVE IT! Reminds me of some of the original over/under interchanges in New Orleans.
jasonlava 2 years ago
The Charles M Braga bridge looks almost like the I-10 Mississippi River bridge in Baton Rouge, LA.
jasonlava 2 years ago
I agree, good call!
Freewayjim 2 years ago
Reminds me of the Alaskan Way viaduct in Seattle.
aswchris 2 years ago
Wasn't that stretch of I-195 supposed to be Eastern extension of I-84- only if it is extended to Providence, RI from Hartford?
MazdaStrider 2 years ago
@MazdaStrider Yes and that will never be extended due to town politics in Eastern CT.
EdM021 1 year ago
nice work jim, do you plan on going far west any time soon?
iowndisciti 2 years ago
Thanks, No I don't have any plans to go to the far west, maybe someday.
Freewayjim 2 years ago
Keep up the good work, Jim. :-)
I dunno what the planners were thinking, back in those days, but that highway is a terrible eyesore thru the center of town! I hope when the time comes to rebuild the structure, that they make it at least more eye-pleasing.
I'm hoping to release my 401 video of Toronto, soon. Still in the process of annotating it. Might not release it for a couple more days.
FreewayBrent 2 years ago
Thanks Brent, I explored that interchange in-depth on an earlier trip, it's just plain odd, granted there was not alot of room to work with and it's on the side of a hill with a large bridge to connect to.
Freewayjim 2 years ago
As far as I know the speed limit is down for that part of 195 for the work on the Goverment Center Tunnel (which is supposed to be finished in January, HA!)
The way you see everything in that video is exactly as I've seen it for my entire life that bridge has always needed painting and will probably never get it.
zcat68 2 years ago