The week of May 15, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will implement traffic pattern changes and lane closures on city streets in Providence related to the ongoing $265 million Providence Viaduct Northbound Project. The changes will affect sections of Smith Street and Park Street.
The first change involves Park Street between Hayes Street and Smith Street, which will be closed from 7 a.m. on Monday, May 15 until 5 a.m. Friday, May 19. During the closure, RIDOT will reconstruct this portion of Park Street and shift the travel lane to the left side of the road, alongside I-95. When it reopens, it will remain in its temporary one-way northbound configuration. RIDOT will restore two-way traffic on this road by late summer.
Also on Friday, May 19, RIDOT will shift travel lanes on the Smith Street Bridge over I-95, located between Park Street and Holden Street. The lane reduction of only one lane in each direction will remain. RIDOT will move this configuration to a new portion of the bridge that it has been rebuilding since 2021.
With traffic shifted, RIDOT can move ahead to demolish and replace the other half of the Smith Street Bridge. This traffic pattern will be in place until late spring 2024, after which RIDOT will restore the original traffic pattern on the bridge with two lanes in both directions.
The Department will maintain pedestrian access along a new sidewalk on the south side of the bridge.
The Smith Street Bridge carries approximately 15,400 vehicles per day.
In addition to replacing the nearly 1,300-foot long I-95 North Viaduct, the project will rebuild 10 additional bridges, many of which are of critical safety concern, as part of this project. The Viaduct carries more than 220,000 vehicles per day over numerous local roads and highway ramps, Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, and the Woonasquatucket River. It is the busiest section of I-95 in Rhode Island and one of the most heavily trafficked highway bridges on the East Coast. The entire project finishes in fall 2025.
More project information is available at www.ridot.net/ProvidenceViaduct.
All construction projects are subject to changes in schedule and scope depending on needs, circumstances, findings, and weather.
The Providence Viaduct Northbound project is made possible by RhodeWorks and the Bipartisan Infrastructure and Improvement Act. RIDOT is committed to bringing Rhode Island's infrastructure into a state of good repair while respecting the environment and striving to improve it. Learn more at www.ridot.net/RhodeWorks.