Broad Street Overpass

A few feet from the site of Fefa’s Market and the Duarte monument is what locals refer to as ‘El Puente de La Broa.’ In reality, this puente is an overpass to I-95, and unlike the bridge in Pawtuxet Village just two miles north of here, with an idyllic body of water flowing underneath, there is a loud interstate highway running below. In addition to necessitating the demolition of dozens of buildings, the highway physically separated South Providence from the rest of the city, destroying its historic relationship with Downtown Providence and the waterfront. The barrier effect on I-95 accelerated the deterioration of the neighborhood — an invisible border wall built around this community caused the containment of developing blight in a limited area, where it would not be able to spread to other parts of the city. As a result, the urgency of dealing with the “problems” of South Providence soon became less pressing to the greater community. By the 1960s and 70s, when Latinos had settled on Broad Street, South Providence had become a forgotten corner of the city, shunned by residents from other areas. It was seen as an empty, deteriorating quarter where century-old buildings were disappearing daily. Virtually entire blocks were abandoned and demolished within one year, and throughout the next two decades.

Marta V. Martinez