The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) announced that it will restripe a portion of Route 2 in North Kingstown and East Greenwich this week in advance of a resurfacing project.
The current four-lane configuration on this 2.2-mile segment of Route 2 (South County Trail/Quaker Lane) – from the Route 4 interchange in East Greenwich to the intersection with Route 102 (Ten Rod Road) in North Kingstown – will be restriped to three lanes. The process involves the layout of a new traffic pattern and the removal of the old pavement markings beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at 6 a.m. Daytime work is expected from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, and nighttime is expected Tuesday through Thursday from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Motorists in the area may encounter lane restrictions.
The new configuration will have one travel lane in each direction and a center turning lane to aid turning movements into driveways and businesses. There also will be wider shoulders.
The restriping to three lanes is being done on a trial basis to assess its suitability. Once the trial is over, RIDOT will work with the community to determine whether to leave the road as is or return it to its original four-lane configuration. Construction on the $2.9 million project would then proceed and conclude by late 2011. The improvements will create a smoother driving surface and make the road safer for those driving through the area.
This section of Route 2 was a much busier roadway prior to the extension of nearby Route 4 in the late 1980s. With a larger portion of the traffic shifted to the highway, RIDOT believes the four-lane configuration is no longer necessary and a lane reduction can be implemented without causing congestion.
The Department has successfully implemented lane reductions across the state, including in the immediate area. In 1994, RIDOT restriped Route 1A (Boston Neck Road) from Wickford village to the Route 138 interchange from four lanes to two lanes. The same lane reduction was instituted in 1998 for a section of Route 2 in East Greenwich from Division Street to the area of the Stanley-Bostitch facility. More recently, the Department has instituted lane reductions from four lanes to three lanes on a segment of East Main Road in Portsmouth and on Putnam Pike in Smithfield.
Motorists with questions can contact RIDOT’s Customer Service office at 401-222-2450 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Additional information will be available on RIDOT’s website (www.dot.ri.gov) and its social media sites on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and Blogger.
Contact: Charles St. Martin 401-222-1362 x4007