The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is reminding motorists that tomorrow, Friday, September 6, it will conduct a weekend-long closure 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 closure begins at 8 p.m. on Friday night and ends by 5 a.m. Monday morning. 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.
RIDOT will be using rapid bridge construction methods for the ongoing construction of a bridge that carries the ramp over the Washington Secondary Bike Path. The steel girder bridge was partially 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.
A section of the bike path will be briefly detoured for the September 6 weekend closure. Also during this weekend, motorists using the ramp from I-295 South to Route 37 will need to come to a full stop before merging onto Route 37.
Just two weeks ago, RIDOT completed a rapid bridge installation on another location on the same ramp, where it passes over Cranston Street. The bridge over the bike path is the third rapid bridge project the Department has done in the past month.
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.