The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is scheduled to resurface Route 78 East and West in Westerly starting Monday, April 22. The eastbound side will be first, with the westbound side scheduled for after Labor Day. The limited access highway, which carries 19,000 vehicles per day, connects Route 1 in Westerly to Route 2 in Stonington, Connecticut.
Pavement milling will require Route 78 East to be closed from the Connecticut line to Exit 5, Monday-Thursday nights, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Motorists will be directed South onto Route 2, into downtown Westerly to High Street, then East to Oak Street to the Exit 5 on-ramp to Route 78 East. Detour routes are available at ridot.net/detourmaps.
Route 78 East paving should start approximately two weeks after the first night of milling, weather permitting. Work will occur within the same project limits and motorists will follow the existing detour.
RIDOT plans to mill and pave Route 78 West sometime after Labor Day. The $3 million contract is scheduled for completion by the end of the year.
The Route 78 Pavement Restoration 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.
