Starting on Thursday, February 17, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will shift travel lanes on Route 5 (Greenwich Avenue) near Knight Street in Warwick for reconstruction of the Pontiac Bridge over the Pawtuxet River. The Department also will reduce travel lanes from two lanes to one for both directions of Route 5 at the bridge.
Traffic will be shifted onto the southbound lanes on Route 5, traveling away from the Warwick Mall, which allows RIDOT to begin demolition and replacement of the northbound side of the bridge. RIDOT closed the first half of the bridge during 2021 with no impact to traffic flow. Motorists are advised to reduce their speed, drive carefully through the work zone, and be aware of pedestrians.
This change will be in place for approximately 10 months, and RIDOT will reopen the bridge to two lanes in each direction prior to the holiday shopping season.
In addition to rehabilitating the Pontiac Bridge, this $19.9 million project includes reconfiguration of the Knight Street intersection. In February, RIDOT will not permit access to Greenwich Avenue from Route 5 northbound. This part of Greenwich Avenue will become a one-way road toward Route 5. Neighborhood access will be maintained via Knight Street.
The project also includes improvements along the Route 5 corridor (Lambert Lind Highway/Greenwich Avenue) from Mayfield Avenue in Cranston to the I-95 overpass in Warwick. Work includes new sidewalks, curbs, resurfacing, minor road reconstruction and new signals. Route 5 carries 21,000 vehicles per day. The project will be complete in summer 2023.
All construction projects are subject to changes in schedule and scope depending on needs, circumstances, findings, and weather.
The replacement of the Pontiac Bridge and improvements to Route 5 were 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.