Starting on Monday night, August 9, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will shift travel lanes on both sides of Route 138 to the right, between the Newport Pell Bridge and the JT Connell Highway overpass, as part of the initial construction activities for the $74 million Pell Bridge Ramps Phase 2 project in Newport.
RIDOT will keep all lanes of travel open, however the right lane on Route 138 East coming off the bridge will function as an exit-only lane for the Downtown Newport exit. RIDOT does not expect travel delays from these changes but encourages motorists to reduce speed and drive cautiously through the work zone.
The change will provide an area in the median for RIDOT to begin bridge preservation work on the bridges that carry Route 138 over 3rd Street, the Old Colony and Newport Railroad line and JT Connell Highway.
The Pell Bridge Ramps Phase 2 project will redesign the road network connecting to the Pell Bridge to make travel into Newport easy and safe. It includes a new efficient ramp system that will reduce congestion, especially the backup of vehicles on the bridge from the Downtown Newport exit, and improve the connection between Newport's North End and the downtown area. With a smaller footprint, the new design also will spur economic development as it frees up approximately 25 acres of land. It will be finished by the end of 2024.
All construction projects are subject to changes in schedule and scope depending on needs, circumstances, findings, and weather.
?The Pell Bridge Ramps Phase 2 Project is 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.