The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) late this week will be closing a portion of Route 102 (Chopmist Hill Road) in order to replace a damaged culvert that carries a stream under Route 102, just south of its intersection with Snake Hill Road, in Glocester.
The road closure is scheduled to begin mid-morning, Friday, April 29 and last for approximately three days. During the closure, the roughly 3,200 vehicles that use this stretch of road per day, including buses to and from Ponaganset Middle School, Ponaganset High School and Fogarty Memorial Elementary School, will be detoured via Anan Wade Road. A detour map with turn-by-turn directions is available on RIDOT's website at www.dot.ri.gov/detourmaps.
Over the weekend, RIDOT will be working extended hours to remove the old culvert and install the new one. The schedule calls for the road to reopen to traffic on Monday morning, May 2, prior to the start of the morning commute.
Once the culvert is replaced and the road has reopened to traffic, there may be periods of one lane of alternating traffic while additional construction activities take place. The project's scheduled completion is late May. Lane closure information will be available on the Department's website at http://www.dot.ri.gov/travel/traveladvisories.php.
As a result of the most recent inspection, the Department found significant deterioration to the structural elements of the culvert that if left alone, would cause roadway failure. The $270,500 contract, calls for replacement of the culvert, in addition to the installation of new pavement, guardrail, signing and striping.
Visit www.dot.ri.gov or follow RIDOTnews on Facebook or Twitter for timely information on construction projects and traffic conditions across the state.
Contact: Charles St. Martin (401) 222-1362, Ext. 4007
