On Friday, August 23, and Friday, September 6, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will undertake two weekend-long closures of the ramp from Route 37 West to I-295 North for continued bridge construction as part of the Department's Cranston Canyon project.
The closures begin each weekend at 8 p.m. on Friday nights and end by 5 a.m. Monday mornings. When the ramp is closed, motorists will follow a short detour by reversing direction at Route 37's intersection with Natick Avenue and following Route 37 East to its on-ramp with I-295 North. A detour map is available at www.ridot.net/DetourMaps.
Cranston Street at the Route 37 overpass will be closed for the August 23 weekend, and traffic will use Wilbur Avenue, Oaklawn Avenue and Sherman Avenue to detour. A section of the Washington Secondary Bike Path will be briefly detoured for the September 6 weekend closure
RIDOT will be using rapid bridge construction methods for the replacement of the bridge that carries the ramp traffic over Cranston Street during the August 23 weekend. The Department will demolish the old bridge and use Self Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs) to slide the new ramp bridge into place.
The work on the September 6 weekend completes ongoing construction on the bridge carrying Route 37 over the bike path. The steel girder bridge was replaced with a pre-cast concrete arch and over the course of the weekend, the final portion of the old bridge will be removed, followed by backfilling and final pavement to complete work on that structure.
During both weekend operations, motorists using the ramp from I-295 South to Route 37 will need to come to full stop before merging onto Route 37.
This work is part of the $85 million Cranston Canyon Project, which is addressing deteriorated bridges along the western end of Route 37 and its intersection with I-295. It includes safety improvements along the "canyon" section of I-295 – the nickname given for the rocky outcropping on this section of the Interstate. The project also will reduce chronic congestion issues on both highways, which will reduce vehicle emissions. Approximately 84,000 vehicles travel daily on I-295 North between Route 37 and Route 14, and 36,500 vehicles on Route 37, west of Pontiac Avenue.
All construction projects are subject to changes in schedule and scope depending on needs, circumstances, findings and weather.
The Cranston Canyon 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.