As part of its ongoing Route 146 Project, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will make a traffic shift at the Route 146/Route146A interchange in North Smithfield on Friday night, October 18. The change will move the exit point for a turnaround that has been used by traffic moving to and from certain directions on these two roads. The new traffic configuration is part of a total redesign of this intersection to make it safer and more efficient.
The changes are as follows:
Route 146 South to Route 146A North: The old turnaround, accessible by a left-hand exit, will be permanently closed. Drivers will encounter the new exit sooner, about one-quarter of a mile before its current location.
Route 146A South to Route 146 North: With the closure of the old turnaround that allowed this traffic movement, all traffic will temporarily need to follow a detour to reach Route 146 North. The detour uses Route 146 North, Smithfield Road and Greenville Road. The detour will be place until next spring, when RIDOT is scheduled to open a new portion of the Route 146/Route 146A interchange.
A graphic showing the changes and detour for Route 146A South to Route 146 North is available online at www.ridot.net/DetourMaps.
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 new diverging diamond intersection, RIDOT is building a new flyover bridge for Route 146 traffic to pass over Sayles Hill Road, eliminating the need for the existing traffic signal - the only traffic light on all of Route 146. The project also 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.