Closure to take place from June 29 - July 1
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) has announced a temporary weekend closure of Route 146 North and then Route 146 South, between the Route 104/Downtown Woonsocket exit and the Pound Hill Road exit in North Smithfield from Friday, June 29-Sunday, July 1.
The closure is needed to install steel girders at the Woonsocket Hill Road Bridge, which spans Route 146. The highway will reopen in segments, with all lanes open by Sunday morning at 10 a.m.
The specifics on the closures and reopenings of Route 146 at the Woonsocket Hill Road Bridge are as follows:
Friday at 9 p.m. Route 146 North Full highway closure begins
Friday at 9 p.m. Route 146 South One lane closed
Saturday at 10 a.m. Route 146 North and South Two lanes open
Saturday at 9 p.m. Route 146 South Full highway closure begins
Saturday at 10 p.m. Route 146 North One lane closed
Sunday at 10 a.m. Route 146 South and North All lanes reopen
Motorists can expect delays during the closure periods, and the use of alternate routes is recommended. RIDOT chose the overnight period when traffic volumes are low, to minimize impact to travelers. Closing portions of Route 146 for the weekend allows the Department to expedite the steel girder installation, shave several weeks off the project schedule and get it reopened in one construction season.
The following detours will be in place on Route 146 North and South for the steel girder installation at the Woonsocket Hill Road Bridge, June 29-July 1, 2018. A map of the recommended detour route is on RIDOT's website at www.ridot.net/DetourMaps.
Route 146 North
Take the Route 146A North (Eddie Dowling Highway) exit
Turn left onto Route 146A North (Smithfield Road)
Stay straight on Route 146A as it becomes Great Road
Use on-ramp to return to Route 146 North
Route 146 South
Take the Pound Hill Road exit
Turn right onto Industrial Drive
Turn left onto Route 5 South (Providence Pike)
Turn left onto Route 104 (Greenville Road/Farnum Pike)
Use ramp to return to Route 146 South
The Woonsocket Hill Road Bridge closed on Monday, February 26. The bridge, which carries approximately 1,000 vehicles per day, will remain closed through December 2018. A detour route using Routes 146A (Smithfield Road), Route 104 (Greenville Road) and Route 5 (Providence Pike) has been established. A detour map is available at www.ridot.net/DetourMaps. Motorists also can expect daytime and nighttime lane closures and shifts for both directions of Route 146.
Final completion for the $11.3 million project is slated for Fall 2019. All schedules are weather-dependent and subject to change.
The Route 146 Corridor Bridges Project was made possible by RhodeWorks, RIDOT's ongoing commitment to repair structurally deficient bridges and bring Rhode Island's transportation infrastructure into a state of good repair, promote economic development, and create jobs. Learn more at www.ridot.net/RhodeWorks.