Starting on Friday night, November 14, the Rhode Island Department Transportation (RIDOT) will resume weekend construction operations consisting of lane closures, lane shifts and road closures on major highways and roadways in Providence (I-95 and Elmwood Avenue) and Warwick/East Greenwich (I-95 and Route 4). This is the second consecutive weekend RIDOT has scheduled such work.
Where these operations are occurring, RIDOT strongly encourages drivers to consider alternate routes, plan additional time for travel and reduce their speed in work zones.
I-95 in Providence
RIDOT will begin its second weekend of lane closures for the decommissioning of a bridge over an inactive rail line near Roger Williams Park Zoo, at 8 p.m. on Friday, November 14. Through the weekend, RIDOT will close the left lanes in both directions of I-95 at this location. All lanes reopen by 5 a.m. on Monday morning, November 17.
RIDOT was able to complete the first phase of weekend work 15 hours ahead of schedule.
For I-95 North traffic, the closure will begin after the Route 10 (Exit 33) interchange. For I-95 South traffic, the closure will begin after the Thurbers Avenue (Exit 35) interchange. No exits or on-ramps will be affected by this closure.
Drivers should expect traffic delays. RIDOT recommends that travelers use alternate routes such as Route 10 and I-295 on both weekends and plan additional time for travel.
For the rest of this week, there is a lane split in both directions of I-95 at this 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 lane split is necessary because of a gap between the part of the bridge worked on last week and the old halves of the bridge.
Elmwood Avenue in Providence
Beginning Friday night, November 14 at 9:00 p.m., RIDOT will make changes to shift traffic onto a portion of a newly constructed bridge that carries Route 10 over Elmwood Avenue in Providence. On Sunday, November 16, from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., RIDOT will temporarily close Elmwood Avenue in both directions to demolish the old bridge.
This day-long closure plan allows RIDOT to avoid overnight demolition, reducing the impact of this work on nearby residents. While Elmwood Avenue is closed, RIDOT recommends these detours for through traffic:
- Elmwood Avenue Northbound: Use Park Avenue to the Route 10 North on-ramp, then take Exit 1A to Elmwood Avenue.
- Elmwood Avenue Southbound: Use the on-ramp to Route 10 North and then take the off-ramp to I-95 South (Exit 1C). At the end of the ramp, drivers will take the next off-ramp (Exit 33A) to Route 10 South and use the off-ramp to Elmwood Avenue (Exit 1A).
Daytime lane closures will continue for Elmwood Avenue into the winter for additional demolition activities and prep work for the second phase of bridge construction. RIDOT expects to fully open the new Elmwood Avenue Bridge in summer 2027.
I-95 and Route 4 in Warwick and East Greenwich
Starting on Friday night, November 14, RIDOT will continue shifting lanes on sections of I-95 and Route 4 where the two highways meet in Warwick and East Greenwich.
This change will create work zones for the Department’s Route 4 “Missing Move” project, which includes building two critical ramps that were never built when Route 4 was constructed in the 1960s.
For this weekend, the following sections will have travel lanes shifting to the left:
- I-95 North after Exit 24B (Route 2 North)
- Route 4 South on the ramp from I-95 South to Exit 9 (Division Street)
All construction projects are subject to changes in schedule and scope depending on needs, circumstances, findings, and weather.
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