PROVIDENCE – A series of overnight closures of portions of Interstate 95 in Providence between Exit 18 (Thurbers Avenue) and Exit 20 (Interstate 195) is set to begin this weekend, according to the R.I. Department of Transportation.
Thirteen overnight shutdowns are planned in April and May to permit heavy steel work for the Iway highway relocation project.
The first is planned for Sunday, April 29, when the DOT plans to close one lane of I-95 in each direction starting at about 8 p.m. By 11 p.m., all lanes in both directions will be closed and detours will be in place. All lanes will be reopened by 5:30 a.m. Monday.
“These closures are being done during the overnight hours so that they have the least impact on travelers,” DOT Director Jerome F. Williams said in a statement today. “Ensuring that every RIDOT work zone is safe for drivers and construction workers is a top priority.”
The closures sometimes will affect only northbound or southbound traffic, and sometimes both. They will take place only on Sunday through Thursday nights, between 11 p.m. and 5:30 a.m., the DOT said, and will not include any holidays.
All work is weather permitting, and partial closures will continue at least through June.
During the first two nights, the DOT said, two “bents” – large pieces of steel, one weighing 105 tons and the other 70 tons – will be positioned over the highway.
The bents, and the concrete piers the DOT has built over the past few months, will support the 13 tub-shaped girders, weighing 34 to 223 tons apiece, that will be installed over the next 11 nights of highway closures. Another 11 girders, not aligned with the highway’s current path, can be installed without requiring full closures, the DOT said.
Various lane restrictions are planned Sunday through Thursday nights, starting at 8 p.m., from May 16 through June 28. On those nights, traffic may be reduced to one lane in each direction by 11 p.m., but all lanes will reopen by 5:30 a.m. The work is to proceed from east to west, and will include a new ramp to the Rhode Island Hospital complex.
During the closures, blue “H” signs will be posted on local streets to show alternate routes to the hospital complex. Motorists planning to travel through Providence are advised to instead take I-295 around the city. Those headed for Providence may use Routes 6 and 10, or follow the local detours.
State and city police officers are to be stationed at key spots along the highway and on local roads, and the DOT will be using five overhead “dynamic message boards” and 12 portable variable-message signs to inform motorists about detours.
The DOT has established a Web page with maps and other details of the detours and closures at www.dot.state.ri.us/traffic/95closure. Information also will be available by dialing 511 (out-of-state callers may dial (888) 401-4511); by calling DOT customer service at 222-2450; or by listening to the agency’s Highway Advisory Radio at 1630 AM.
A larger map detailing the past and current status of the Iway and Washington Bridge projects can be seen at www.dot.ri.gov. The next step, the DOT said, will be the placement of overhead steel for the new ramps from I-95 South to I-195 East, which is expected to begin in August.
Additional information on the R.I. Department of Transportation’s Iway project is available at www.dot.ri.gov/projects/construction and at www.pineapplestudios.com/IwaySite .
