The Rhode Island Department Transportation (RIDOT) is reminding motorists that on the weekends of November 1-4 and November 8-11, it will conduct its fifth rapid bridge installation since this summer with the replacement of the I-95 northbound bridge over Elmwood Avenue in Providence. The bridge will be completely replaced over these two weekends.
The closures start each weekend at 8 p.m. on Fridays with all lanes open by 5 a.m. Monday morning. Additionally, the high-speed lane on I-95 North will be closed during the first weekend of closures.
The Elmwood Avenue Bridge is the first bridge to be repaired or replaced as part of the new I-95 15 Bridges project, which will remove 15 bridges from the state's backlog of poor and fair-to-poor condition bridges along I-95 and Route 10 between Providence and Warwick. RIDOT this summer received the state's largest-ever federal grant of $251 million to help fund this project.
During each weekend, RIDOT will close two lanes on I-95 North just after the Route 10 (Exit 33) interchange. RIDOT strongly suggests that travelers use alternate routes such as Route 10 and I-295 on both weekends and plan additional time for travel.
In preparation for this work, RIDOT will install a lane split on I-95 North at the bridge with two lanes on either side of the work zone. The split will be in place through November 1 and for the week of November 4-8, with two lanes on either side of the work zone. Drivers should not stop or suddenly change lanes at the split. This unsafe behavior will cause traffic delays and could lead to a crash. All lanes go through.
For each weekend on I-95 North, the lane closures will allow RIDOT to demolish and replace different parts of this structurally deficient bridge. The closures start each weekend at 8 p.m. on Fridays with all lanes open by 5 a.m. Monday morning. Additionally, the on-ramps from Route 10 North and South to I-95 North will be closed on select nights and during the second weekend of demolition.
Starting Thursday morning, October 31 and for the week of November 4-8, there will be a lane split on I-95 North at the bridge with two lanes on either side of the work zone. Drivers should not stop or suddenly change lanes at the split. This unsafe behavior will cause traffic delays and could lead to a crash. All lanes go through.
The bridge replacement work also requires the full closure of Elmwood Avenue at the I-95 overpass. During the closure, drivers can follow a signed detour using Reservoir Avenue (Route 2) and getting on Route 10 to reach Elmwood Avenue. Local traffic north of the bridge can also use Roger Williams Avenue to reach the detour route. There will be no changes for traffic on Elmwood Avenue northbound or I-95 North to Exit 33B.
Any motorists trying to reach Roger Williams Park or the Zoo and its Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular event should plan additional time for travel. Visitors on I-95 South coming from Providence should continue past the Elmwood Avenue off-ramp and instead use Exit 33A to Route 10 South and then take the next exit to Elmwood Avenue. Those on I-95 North can continue to use Exit 33B to Elmwood Avenue.
The schedule for the bridge replacement and traffic impacts is as follows:
October 30-31: On these nights, the on-ramps from Route 10 North or South to I-95 North will be temporary closed, reopening by the morning commute the following day. Motorists can use the ramp to I-95 South and reverse direction at the Jefferson Boulevard exit.
October 31: By the morning rush hour, there will be a lane split on I-95 North just after the Route 10 (Exit 33) interchange with two lanes on either side of the split. All lanes go through. It also will be in effect on November 4-8.
November 1-4: The two left lanes on I-95 North and the left lane on I-95 South will be closed beginning at 8 p.m. Friday night, November 1. Also, Elmwood Avenue will be closed at the bridge. All lanes reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, November 4.
November 4-8: There will be a lane split on I-95 North beginning just after the Route 10 (Exit 33) interchange with two lanes on either side of the split. All lanes go through.
November 8-11: The two right lanes on I-95 North will be closed beginning at 8 p.m. Friday night, November 8. Also, Elmwood Avenue will be closed at the bridge. All lanes reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, November 11. Also during this weekend, the on-ramps from Route 10 North or South to I-95 North will be temporary closed. Motorists can use the ramp to I-95 South and reverse direction at the Jefferson Boulevard exit.
This rapid approach to bridge replacement saves motorists more than two years of lane closures, shifts and splits. In September, RIDOT replaced the I-95 southbound bridge over Elmwood Avenue over two consecutive weekends.
The I-95 15 Bridges project takes a holistic approach to addressing these bridges to ensure the safe movement of over 185,000 vehicles, including about 9,000 trucks and heavy freight vehicles. Nine of the 15 bridges are structurally deficient. Three are rated among the top five most traveled structurally deficient bridges in Rhode Island. A total of 11 bridges will be repaired and four will be eliminated. RIDOT also will rebuild Route 10 from Elmwood Avenue to Park Avenue – transforming it into a boulevard with a shared use path to provide better connectivity for all users.
RIDOT will coordinate with its neighboring states to inform motorists of anticipated construction delays in the Providence area during these weekends.
All construction projects are subject to changes in schedule and scope depending on needs, circumstances, findings, and weather.
The replacement of the Elmwood Avenue Bridge 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.