The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) remind users of the Blackstone River Bikeway in Lincoln and Cumberland about possible closures of segments of the bike path during weekday hours this spring and into the early summer months.
Weather sensitive work that could not be done in the winter will resume on Monday, April 6. Work will continue weekdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. For the first two weeks closures are possible between Front Street in Lincoln and Lower River Road in Lincoln.
RIDOT has placed restrictions on the contractor that require any segments of bike path under construction to be repaved before the end of each workday. This will ensure safe conditions for all path users during non-work hours in the late afternoons and early evenings, and on weekends and holidays. Only the sections being worked on will be closed at any one time, not the entire 6.3-mile portion or any other portion of the bikeway. No closures are planned after 4 p.m. on weekdays.
RIDOT and RIDEM encourage anyone using the bikeway to practice proper social distancing on the path, providing at least six feet of space between you and other users. This includes anticipating others on the path and stepping off the path onto the shoulder if necessary. Also, those who are ill should not be using the bike path and instead remain at home.
Work has been ongoing since last fall on a $1.4 million repair project for 6.3 miles of the bikeway where tree roots have pushed up the pavement. The project area extends from 300 feet south of the Willow Way Bridge (near the Front Street bike path parking lot in Lincoln) to 500 feet north of Maple Street (near the Manville bike path parking lot off New River Road in Lincoln).
RIDOT and RIDEM expect the work to be finished in the summer, but the schedule is completely dependent on the weather.
The project includes removal and replacement of damaged sections and select tree cutting and root pruning to hinder root intrusion and damage. When complete, RIDOT will place an asphalt emulsion (a type of durable pavement sealer) along the entire 6.3-mile portion and restripe the path. RIDOT conducted similar repairs to the East Bay Bike Path in 2018.
All construction projects are subject to changes in schedule and scope depending on needs, circumstances, findings, and weather.