The summer months are the busiest for the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, which has 71 large- and small-scale projects on its agenda that will begin and progress over the course of the summer.
Projects like the Interstate 195 relocation, the replacement of the Route 10 bridges over Cranston Street and the Amtrak lines on the Providence/Cranston line are ongoing. The reconstruction of Interstate 95 service roads in Providence and the second phase of construction on the South County Bike Path are two other major projects in a list of many.
“We’ve been able to put in a few more projects this year than in the past,” said Edward Parker, chief engineer for the DOT. “From July 1, 2002 to June 31, 2003, we had $125 million in projects advertised. This has been one of our higher years for construction projects.”
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One of the department’s major projects is the $7 million reconstruction of the service roads for Interstate 95 in Providence. Road work and pavement work downtown is complete, according to the DOT. Remaining bridge work includes bridge deck repairs and other minor steel work. According to Parker, it’s 95 percent complete.
The DOT’s safety improvements scheduled for the Route 95 bridges in Pawtucket include work on the Exchange Street, Underwood Street and Central Avenue bridges, which pass over the interstate. The $5 million project – which will make repairs to the undersides of the bridges – started recently, and Parker said it should be completed by mid-December of this year.
Replacing the Route 10 bridges over Cranston Street and the Amtrak railroad lines on the Providence/Cranston line – a $25 million project – also includes reconstructing Route 10 between the Niantic Street off-ramp and the Union Avenue bridge overpass, according to the department. The DOT will build a retaining wall, and excavate and improve drainage near one of the tracks to accommodate a freight rail. Work is progressing now on the Route 10 southbound span, and construction on the project should be complete in September 2004. Parker said the DOT plans to have traffic switched to the new bridge this fall.
Parker acknowledged that there is more bridge work being done this year than in previous years. Although the work is generally required maintenance, Parker blames the rash of bridge projects on the New England weather.
“We’re trying to improve the overall condition of the pavement structure, and we have more deficient bridges than we like to talk about,” he said. “It’s New England, and we have harsh winters, and we use a lot of salt and that doesn’t help the roads.”
In past years, the DOT spent time working on some of the larger bridge projects, including the Ashton viaduct between Cumberland and Lincoln – a large stone bridge – and the Point Street Bridge. Now the department is focusing on many smaller bridge projects.
With summer being the DOT’s busiest time of year, there are more projects to start and finish, and the traffic always plays a role, Parker said. Because the department has a compressed construction season – they can’t work from mid-December to early April – there are more projects to do this year in not much time.
“We try to design the projects around the traffic,” Parker said. “It’s the smallest impact on motorists that takes longer – the multiple phases that require us to keep traffic open that delay the project.” DOT crews work at night, early in the morning and at other off-peak times to try to make commuting easier on motorists.
Work is continuing on the Route 195 relocation, he said, with construction on the Dyer Street side of the Providence River, as well as some work being done on Allens Avenue. Within the next two to three weeks Parker said the DOT will award the contract for the Providence River Bridge construction, an $84 million part of the entire project. Work on that is expected to begin in late summer, he said.
Parker said the DOT is not recommending tolls for the deteriorating Sakonnet River Bridge, which the DOT has suggested replacing. It is included in the state budget, he said, in the proposal for grant anticipation revenue bonds, which borrow future federal highway money and uses it now toward projects like the Interstate 195 relocation and Sakonnet bridge.
“Sakonnet and 195 need to be done and Route 403 needs to be relocated,” Parker said. “These are important projects, not only from a transportation standpoint, but also from a business standpoint.”
Below is a list of the major DOT projects in the state continuing this summer.
Interstate 95 service roads
reconstruction – Providence
Resurfacing, restoration and rehabilitation of service roads, including bridges, pavement, curbing, concrete sidewalks, drainage, striping, signs, landscape enhancements.
Cost: slightly more than $7 million
Traffic impact: weekday overnight lane closure for painting of steel beams,
removing shielding from bridges, installing loam and seeding.
Route 95 bridge safety improvements – Pawtucket
Construction will take place on three bridges over Interstate 95 during the first phase: Exchange Street Bridge, Underwood Street Bridge and Central Avenue Bridge.
Cost: $5 million
Traffic impact: Exchange Street Bridge will be reduced from two lanes of travel
to one. The Exchange Street Bridge is closed to trucks only. A marked detour
is in place. Underwood Street Bridge is temporarily closed to all traffic. The
bridge will reopen in December. A detour route is in place. Beginning in late
summer, the Central Avenue Bridge will only be open to traffic in one direction,
heading west. A detour will be used to direct traffic.
Route 10 bridge replacement – Providence/Cranston line
Replacement of Route 10 bridges over Cranston Street and Amtrak railroad lines, including reconstruction of Route 10 between the Niantic Street off-ramp and the Union Avenue bridge overpass.
Cost: $25 million
Work also includes building a retaining wall, excavating, improving drainage near Track 1 of the Amtrak railroad lines to accommodate freight rail. Current construction includes continuing work on the Route 10 southbound span. Traffic will be re-routed to the new bridge span in the fall.
Traffic impact: The project requires lane shifts, with all Route 10 traffic
passing over the previous northbound span in narrowed lanes. The on-ramp from
Union Avenue to Route 10 southbound is closed. There is a detour in place.
Route 146/Route 116 interchange, northeast quadrant, ramp bridge – Lincoln
Reconstruction of the northeast quadrant of the Route 146/Route 116 interchange is scheduled to begin this fall, and is expected to be completed by fall of 2004, with minor work continuing after that date. Includes installation of underground utilities, new ramps, disposal of old ramps, a new bridge, landscaping and traffic signals.
Cost: $11.2 million
Traffic impact: The construction will require closed lanes on routes 116 and
146 during day-and-night construction as required and lane shifts.
Route 1 at Hunts River railroad bridge, south of Route 402 –
North Kingstown
The replacement of the Hunts River Railroad Bridge is more than 75 percent complete. Phase 1 is complete, and Phase 2 is underway. Work underway now includes concrete finish on the substructures and superstructure, work on the Phase 2 north abutments, work on the south pier Phase 2 pedestals, and earth work. Construction is currently expected to be completed by early fall.
Cost: $4 million
Traffic impact: Continuing lane restriction on the bridge, leaving one lane
open in each direction.
South County Bike Path Phase 2 – South Kingstown
Construction of the second phase of the bike path, with construction of a new bridge bringing the bike path under Woodruff Avenue, and installation of a new superstructure on the Saugatucket River Railroad Bridge. Current construction includes fence work, landscaping, cleaning and spraying of anti-graffiti solution on all retaining walls. Construction is expected to be finished in late July.
Cost: $3 million
Reconstruction of the Greenwood Railroad Bridge in Warwick
The replacement of the Greenwood Railroad Bridge was slightly less than 50 percent complete as the summer began. The project is the phased demolition and construction of the Greenwood Railroad Bridge over Amtrak rail lines. Construction work is expected to accelerate this week, following the delivery of beams for the bridge.
Cost: $4.5 million
The DOT expects to shift traffic over onto the new bridge this fall; half of the bridge has been demolished; most of the structure is up and waiting for the beams.
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