Pawtucket Avenue Bridge Replacement Project

RIDOT this spring and summer will be replacing the Pawtucket Avenue Bridge, a heavily traveled corridor in East Providence, R.I. which spans I-195. Motorists will encounter delays and detours as we work to complete this project as quickly as possible. Work has already started with weekday lane closures.

As part of RIDOT's RhodeWorks program to repair Rhode Island's deficient bridges, we'll be replacing this bridge using accelerated bridge construction methods that will get the project done in four months instead of two years. See Latest Press Release »

I-195 Lane Shifts For First Weekend Bridge Closure

Starting: 10 p.m. on April 14
Ending: 6 a.m. on April 17

What You Need to Know

In order to replace the Pawtucket Avenue Bridge and do it quickly, we'll have lane closures on both Pawtucket Avenue and on I-195.

Weekend Closures

RIDOT will have eight full closures of the bridge with additional lane restrictions for highway users at the same time. Get details below:

Pawtucket Avenue Bridge

  • Bridge closed from 7 p.m. Friday, April 7 through 6 a.m. Monday, April 10
  • Traffic on Pawtucket Avenue will be directed to follow a signed detour using Grosvenor Avenue, Broadway and Warren Avenue
  • The I-195 West on-ramp, located just north of the bridge, will be closed
  • Pedestrian access may be limited, but flaggers will be present to aid anyone needing to walk across the bridge

I-195 East and West

  • I-195 reduced from three travel lanes to two in each direction from 7 p.m. Friday, April 7 through 6 a.m. Monday, April 10
  • Auxiliary lanes in both directions for on- and off-ramp traffic will be closed
  • All traffic will shift onto I-195 eastbound travel lanes to allow for safe demolition of the bridge over westbound lane

I-195 Ramps

  • The East Shore Expressway on-ramp will be reduced from two lanes to one
  • With auxiliary lanes closed on the highway, traffic entering I-195 West from the East Shore Expressway will have to stop and yield before entering the highway
  • The exit for East Shore Expressway from I-195 East (Exit 7), located immediately after the work zone, will remain open for vehicles in the right travel lane
Everyday Lane Closures

During the project, RIDOT will close half the bridge at a time, and lane shifts on the highway below are scheduled too. Get details below:

Pawtucket Avenue Bridge

  • Lane restriction in effect as of April 7, following the reopening of the bridge after the first weekend closure
  • Reduce the number of travel lanes from four to two
  • Left turns for Pawtucket Avenue northbound to I-195 West on-ramp, located just north of the bridge, will not be permitted (follow signed detour using Warren Avenue)
  • Two-way traffic maintained during peak travel periods; overnight lane closures and detours are possible

I-195 East and West

  • All lanes will shift to the right effective Monday, April 17
  • The right lane will become an exit-only lane on I-195 East at Exit 7 effective Monday, April 17. There will be only two through lanes on this part of the highway
  • Another lane shift planned for late Spring

I-195 Ramps

  • Today there are two lanes for the East Shore Expressway/Route 114 to Barrington on I-195 East at Exit 7. The far right lane will be closed effective Monday, April 17
  • The highway will be restriped to include two through lanes and one exit-only lane at Exit 7. The center lane will have the option of exiting or continuing through on I-195 East

Detour Maps

What is Accelerated Bridge Construction?