North Smithfield Central Street Bridge closed for repairs

ABC6 News

By: News Staff

Email: news@abc6.com

Twitter: @ABC6

NORTH SMITHFIELD, R.I. (WLNE) — North Smithfield drivers will have to find alternate routes as temporary road closures begin alongside the next phase of Central Street Bridge repairs.

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) calls the Central Street Bridge, which carries local traffic on Route 5/Central Street over Route 146, "structurally deficient." Steel for the new bridge will be installed during this phase of repairs, according to a press release.

The closures began overnight. with one side of the highway closed at a time. However, when one side of the highway is closed, the high-speed lane on the other side also will be closed. Route 146A will be used as a detour during the closures.

This schedule is less restrictive than the original schedule which would have involved closing one direction in its entirety for two full weekends.

The specifics on the closures and reopenings of portions of Route 146 North and South are as follows:

  • Friday, July 7 at 10 p.m. – Route 146 South closed between the Forestdale/Slatersville exit in North Smithfield and Exit 1 in Uxbridge, Mass. Also, the high-speed lane on Route 146 North will be closed.
  • Saturday, July 8 at 12 p.m. – Route 146 South and the high speed lane of Route 146 North reopens.
  • Saturday, July 8 at 3 p.m. – Route 146 North will be closed in this area. Also, the high-speed lane on Route 146 South will be closed.
  • Sunday, July 9 at 10 a.m. – All lanes reopened 

All detour maps for Route 146 and the Central Street Bridge are available at www.ridot.net/detourmaps. Different Central Street Bridge detours will be enacted for cars and trucks.

RIDOT says that motorists can expect delays during the closure periods, and recommend the use of alternate routes.

The Central Street Bridge itself will remain closed until late fall. RIDOT expects the $7.7 million project to be completed in the spring of 2018.

The bridge has been structurally deficient for 18 years and had a 24-ton weight limit, according to the press release. RIDOT says that once repairs are finished, the new structure will be safe for use by all legal load trucks.
    
Visit www.dot.ri.gov or follow @RIDOTnews on Facebook or Twitter for timely information on construction projects and traffic conditions.

©WLNE-TV / ABC6 2017

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