This project will replace the 1,295-foot long northbound section of the Providence Viaduct Bridge which carries I-95 over numerous local roads and highway ramps, Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and the Woonasquatucket River. This section of I-95 carries more than 220,000 vehicles per day. It is the busiest section of I-95 in Rhode Island and one of the most heavily trafficked highway bridges on the East Coast.
Construction of the Viaduct Northbound is thanks in large part to the efforts of Rhode Island's Congressional delegation, which secured a $60.3 million federal INFRA grant for the project. Our project includes the construction of a new collector-distributor (C-D) road along the right side of the Interstate. This eliminates the weaving conflicts and congestion that plague the segment of I-95 Northbound from the 6/10 Connector and Downtown on-ramps to the Route 146/State Offices interchange.
We also will reconfigure ramps to disentangle conflicting movements, improving motorist safety and comfort, and reducing congestion and delay. The new ramp system will provide more efficient connections among I-95, the 6/10 Connector, and Route 146. This new configuration will vastly improve the crippling congestion caused by traffic trying to access I-95 northbound from the 6/10 Connector and by traffic trying to exit I-95 to access Route 146 or the state offices.
An earlier design for Providence Viaduct Northbound called for reusing the bridge during construction but the winning proposal by Skanska/Manafort presented a solution that saved a year of time and approximately $1 million.
Highlights of the traffic improvements on the northbound service road include:
We are not only replacing the Viaduct, but will rebuild 11 bridges in total, many of which are of critical safety concern and will correct the inefficiencies, congestion and safety issues that exist today. Among them:
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Motorists have welcomed the additional lanes on I-95 North and the northbound Providence Viaduct service road at Exit 38 that we opened last weekend and this week. Next week we plan to pave and raise the drainage structures to grade, with alternating lane closures on I-95, from Exit 36B to Exit 39A, Sunday-Wednesday nights from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. These operations may also involve temporary ramp closures along I-95 at the Exit 37 interchange, Sunday-Wednesday nights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Please follow signed detours during all closures. |
| Click here for the latest lane closure information |