For one night only, starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 12, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will temporarily close one lane on Route 146 North and detour traffic on Sayles Hill Road where it meets Route 146 in North Smithfield. The closures will create a work zone so heavy equipment can place new steel beams for continued construction of a new flyover bridge RIDOT is building to reduce congestion and make the intersection safer. All roads will reopen by 10 a.m. on Sunday, October 13. This work was rescheduled from October 5.
The following is a summary of changes expected during this one-night closure period:
Route 146 North: All through traffic will be reduced to one lane and use a portion of the new flyover bridge RIDOT opened in May. The right lane will remain open for local traffic only to provide access to the residences and businesses along Route 146 North. Access to all residences and businesses will remain for the duration of the closure. There will be no access to Sayles Hill Road. Drivers headed to Sayles Hill Road toward Manville should use the Route 99 or Route 146A exits to detour. Drivers headed to Sayles Hill Road toward Iron Mine Road should use Route 146A to detour.
Route 146 South: No changes for through traffic or drivers accessing businesses on the west side of the highway corridor or Sayles Hill Road westbound toward Iron Mine Road. Any traffic wishing to turn onto Sayles Hill Road eastbound toward Manville will remain on Route 146 South and reverse direction to Route 146 North or Route 99 North via the I-295 interchange. The traffic signal will remain green for the duration of the work.
Sayles Hill Road eastbound, west of Route 146: Drivers will detour using Sayles Hill Road to Route 146 South near the Route 146A merge to access Route 146 South. Anyone wishing to go to Route 146 North can follow Route 146 South and reverse direction to Route 146 North via the I-295 interchange.
Sayles Hill Road westbound, east of Route 146: Drivers will follow detour signage using Route 99 South to Route 146 South, either remaining on Route 146 South toward Lincoln or reversing direction to Route 146 North via the I-295 interchange. Local access between Route 99 and Route 146 will be maintained.
When fully built in late 2025, the flyover bridge will eliminate the need for any traffic signals for Route 146 through traffic 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.
The $196 million project was funded in part by a $65 million federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant – the second largest the state ever received – which was secured by Rhode Island's Congressional delegation. The entire project will be finished in summer 2026.
All construction projects are subject to changes in schedule and scope depending on needs, circumstances, findings and weather.
The Route 146 Project is made possible by RhodeWorks and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs 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.