Ocean State Today

Starting Monday night, February 24, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will reduce travel lanes on Route 113 in Warwick. This change marks the beginning of a project to replace two structurally deficient bridges over I-95 and I-295. The affected area is between the Route 5 intersection and the main entrance to the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) Knight Campus.

The temporary traffic pattern involves closing the left lane in both directions of Route 113 to establish a work zone for demolishing the existing median barrier. One through lane will remain open for east and west traffic on Route 113, along with a lane for merging traffic onto and off the Interstate. All ramps will stay open.

This traffic pattern will last until mid-spring when RIDOT plans to shift traffic onto the eastbound side of the bridges. Demolition and reconstruction of the other side will follow, with work on the westbound side occurring from mid-summer to late fall. By year-end, all travel lanes are expected to return to their original configuration.

In case of adverse weather on February 24, RIDOT will reschedule the traffic pattern change to nighttime.

Built in 1965, these bridges carry up to 33,000 vehicles daily on Route 113, an essential corridor linking residential and commercial areas in Warwick, including access to CCRI.

The bridge replacements are part of RIDOT's $102.4 million Warwick Corridor Project. Besides bridge work, RIDOT plans improvements across several corridors and intersections with paving, sidewalk enhancements, ADA accessibility upgrades, new traffic signals, pedestrian crossings, and other safety features. Specific areas include East Avenue, Route 2 (Bald Hill Road), Main Avenue, West Shore Road, and Post Road.

All construction projects may experience schedule or scope changes due to various factors such as needs or weather conditions.

These bridge replacements are funded by RhodeWorks. "RIDOT is committed to bringing Rhode Island's infrastructure into a state of good repair while respecting the environment and striving to improve it," according to RIDOT's statement.

More information can be found at www.ridot.net/WarwickCorridor or www.ridot.net/RhodeWorks.

Information from this article can be found here.