Lane shift marks first piece of infrastructure to open on the Route 6/10 Interchange project
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) today announced it will be shifting traffic patterns on Route 6 just west of the Route 6/10 Interchange project, starting on Thursday, November 21. This will put traffic on a portion of the newly built Hartford Avenue and Plainfield Street bridges, signifying the opening of the first piece of new bridge infrastructure as part of the $410 million Route 6/10 Interchange project.
"Here we go – these are the first new bridges to open to traffic as part of the Route 6/10 project," RIDOT Director Peter Alviti, Jr. said. "For decades this project lingered on the drawing board with no plan to build it. Thanks to the Governor's RhodeWorks program, we identified the funding for it, assembled a great design-build team, and are on our way to an entirely new interchange."
Travel lanes on Route 6 in this area were shifted to the north last fall to begin reconstruction of these two bridges. Now that the first phase of work is done, RIDOT will shift all travel lanes to the south onto the new bridges, allowing the Department to demolish and replace the other half of these structures.
The transition to the new bridges will be done in stages, with Route 6 East shifted on Thursday and Route 6 West on Friday, November 22. The changes will take place throughout the work day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lane closures and travel delays are likely during this time.
Coinciding with the Thursday shift of Route 6 West traffic, RIDOT will temporarily close the westbound off-ramp to Hartford Avenue. Traffic will continue on Route 6 West and follow a signed detour using the Killingly Street exit to Route 6 East to the Hartford Avenue eastbound exit (which will remain open). This will allow for interim construction of a temporary lane, and the ramp is expected to reopen on Monday, November 25.
All construction projects are subject to changes in schedule and scope depending on needs, circumstances, findings, and weather.
The replacement of the Route 6/10 Interchange 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.