Starting on Friday night, May 31, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will change the traffic pattern on Route 146 North at the Sayles Hill Road intersection in North Smithfield. There will be a lane split approaching the intersection, with the left lane using a recently completed section of the new flyover bridge instead of stopping at the traffic signal.
Both lanes will be available for Route 146 North through traffic. Drivers should not suddenly change lanes at the split. All lanes go through.
Anyone wishing to turn right onto Sayles Hill Road, turn left toward Iron Mine Hill Road, or access businesses along the highway, will need to use the right lane and the existing traffic signal. RIDOT will maintain the dedicated left-turn lane at the traffic signal for drivers accessing the Anchor car dealerships, Iron Mine Hill Road or making a U-turn to reach businesses along the southbound side of Route 146.
The change does not affect Route 146 South, or any other turning lanes onto or off of Route 146.
RIDOT is making this change so it can continue construction at the new intersection, which includes widening the road and building a new flyover bridge for Route 146 traffic to pass over Sayles Hill Road. This traffic pattern is temporary and will be in place until the fall. It will be followed by a series of different shifts involving both sides of Route 146.
Between the time of this temporary traffic change and the completion of the bridge, different directions and lanes of Route 146 will use sections of the new flyover bridge on a temporary basis. When fully built in late 2025, the flyover bridge will eliminate the need for any traffic signals at Sayles Hill Road, the only traffic light on all of Route 146. More than 85 crashes occur each year at this intersection, and it is a source of significant congestion and travel delay.
The entire Route 146 Project includes greatly needed improvements to the Route 146 corridor, making it safer, improving transit connections, and reducing congestion and vehicle emissions. In addition to the flyover bridge, the project will replace or repair five bridges and repave 8 miles of roadway. Visit www.ridot.net/Route146 for more information.