The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will temporarily close the Manville Bridge, which carries Manville Hill Road over the Blackstone River, the Blackstone River Bikeway and the Providence and Worcester Railroad between Lincoln and Cumberland to motorists and pedestrians on Monday, May 4 for a bridge rehabilitation project.
The $11 million project includes repairing the bridge's piers and replacing its deteriorated deck and supporting steel beams. The bridge is structurally deficient and is posted at 10 tons, prohibiting the passage of many types of commercial trucks. It is 66 years old and carries approximately 8,000 vehicles per day.
During the closure, motorists will use the nearby Route 99 bridge to cross the Blackstone River. A detour map is available at www.ridot.net/DetourMaps. The suggested detour is as follows:
From the Cumberland side: Follow Manville Hill Road north and turn left onto Mendon Road (Route 122). Turn left onto Route 99 South and take the Sayles Hill Road exit. At the end of the ramp, turn left onto Sayles Hill Road and follow it to a left turn onto Main Street to reach the village of Manville.
From the Lincoln side: Follow Main Street south and turn right onto Sayles Hill Road. Take the on-ramp to Route 99 North, turn right onto Mendon Road (Route 122), then turn right to return to Manville Hill Road.
During construction, the Blackstone River Bikeway under the bridge will remain open. Periodic midweek daytime closures may be needed in the summer and will be announced in advance. The project is scheduled to be completed by fall 2021. Based on the current contractor schedule the bridge will reopen during the summer of 2021. The Department will continue to work with the contractor to evaluate any opportunities to accelerate the reopening of the bridge to two-way traffic. As the project proceeds the Department will provide updates if there are any changes to the planned schedule.
All construction projects are subject to changes in schedule and scope depending on needs, circumstances, findings, and weather.
The Manville Bridge Rehabilitation 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.