The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) announced today that it will close the Ten Mile River Bridges by late afternoon tomorrow, Friday, December 30, 2011. The bridges carry North Broadway over the Ten Mile River and over a nearby small stream in East Providence.
The weight limit on the bridges was posted at 3 tons in July 2011, but the results of a recent inspection revealed deterioration significant enough to prompt RIDOT to close the spans. RIDOT is in the process of awarding a contract for the rehabilitation of these bridges, and was set to close them in late winter for this work. The bridges will remain closed for approximately two years.
"We regret the need to close these bridges ahead of schedule, but motorist safety must be our first concern," RIDOT Director Michael P. Lewis said. "We will ensure that the new bridges are completed as expeditiously as possible."
The existing detour route for trucks will remain the same. Passenger vehicles will be able to use a shorter detour. All detour maps will be posted on RIDOT's website (www.dot.ri.gov). The detours are as follows:
North Broadway Detour (Cars Only)
Northbound
• Turn right onto Centre Street
• Turn left onto Pawtucket Avenue
• Turn left onto Newman Avenue
• Follow Newman Avenue, which becomes North Broadway
Southbound
• At the intersection of Newman Avenue and Pawtucket Avenue, follow Pawtucket Avenue southbound
• Turn right onto Centre Street and follow to intersection with North Broadway
North Broadway Detour (Trucks)
Northbound
• Bear left onto Roger Williams Way
• Turn right onto Pawtucket Avenue
• Turn right onto Newman Avenue
• Follow Newman Avenue, which becomes North Broadway
Southbound
• At the intersection of Newman Avenue and Pawtucket Avenue, follow Pawtucket Avenue southbound
• Turn right onto Taunton Avenue
• Turn right onto North Broadway
The work to close the bridges will be done by D'Ambra Construction of Warwick, who is the apparent low bidder for the $2.8 million rehabilitation project. RIDOT will completely replace the superstructure on both bridges.
Those with questions can contact RIDOT's Customer Service office at 401-222-2450 weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additional information will be available on RIDOT's social media sites on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and Blogger.
Contact: Charles St. Martin 401-222-1362 x4007