Most of the southern expressway portion of the route was permanently closed by MassDOT in 2023 for conversion into a street level urban boulevard.

The route passes through the village before turning eastward along Elm Street, intertwining with the Assonet River as both make their way into Berkley.

[2] In 1965, as part of the construction of I-195 from Swansea through Somerset and Fall River to Westport, the southern section of the expressway, along the Fall River Viaduct, was opened, connecting between an interchange with Route 138 ("Broadway Extended") and I-195 north to a partial interchange with Route 138 along a one-way pair of North Davol Street and South Davol Street.

The study found that Route 79 carried approximately between 20,000 and 30,000 vehicles per day with excess capacity; this gave MassDOT justification to commence preliminary planning to remove the four-lane elevated expressway in 2018.

[7] The project will also build new cross-streets to re-connect portions of the historic street grid and improve access between the city's North End neighborhood and the riverfront.

The project will free up almost 17 acres of riverfront land between the Senator Norton City Pier park and Brightman Street; additionally, most of the land will be within walking distance of Fall River's South Coast Rail MBTA Commuter Rail station which is under construction one block to the east of Route 79.

Fall River economic development officials and local investors view the project as opportunity to create new housing in walkable neighborhoods on the newly available land that the expressway had formerly occupied.