Pedestrian safety project underway at busy Providence intersection
By News Staff
Safety improvements are being made to a heavily-traveled intersection in Providence.
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation said it will be working on pedestrian safety at the corner of Francis St and Memorial Boulevard.
Temporary construction signs and pavement cutting for new curb installation is already underway.
Through a $2.7 million project, with a budget contingency of $200,000, the work is centered on Francis Street, from Exchange Terrace to just past Memorial Boulevard.
There, RIDOT says it will be resurfacing the roads and adding new sidewalks, signing, and striping, plus new traffic signals at the intersection.
Separate pedestrian signals at Memorial Boulevard crossings, complete with audible systems, will also go up.
Ornamental lighting and landscaping will be installed to try to prevent pedestrians from crossing in front of adjacent highway on- and off-ramps.
The work will take place mostly overnight in the next two weeks, with full closures possible on Francis Street between Memorial Boulevard and West Exchange Street.
The project is scheduled to be finished by November, with final cleanup and landscaping done by next spring.
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