Starting tomorrow night, Thursday, October 7, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will make a change to traffic patterns at the Newport Rotary (the intersection of JT Connell Highway and Admiral Kalbfus Road). Traffic will shift inward on the traffic circle, but all lanes will remain open.
Work on the rotary is one of the initial tasks of the $74 million Pell Bridge Ramps Phase 2 project. RIDOT is converting it to a modern and safer roundabout. These traffic circles have proven to reduce fatalities by 90 percent, and greatly reduce injuries and the severity of crashes. With their lower speeds, roundabouts are safer for pedestrians, cyclists, older drivers and novice drivers.
Roundabouts differ from rotaries in many ways, including a smaller footprint and reduced speeds in the traffic circle. More information is available at www.ridot.net/roundabouts.
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.