Starting on Sunday night, July 20, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will be temporarily closing a section of Oaklawn Avenue at the Route 37 overpass in Cranston during late evening and overnight hours. The closures will take place Sunday through Thursday nights, for the next two to three weeks, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night so RIDOT can begin bridge demolition work.
During the closure, traffic will use Wilbur Avenue, Vinton Avenue, Cranston Street and Sherman Avenue to detour. RIDOT chose this time for the closure when traffic volumes are lowest, to avoid disrupting traffic as much as possible. A detour map is available at www.ridot.net/DetourMaps.
The Oaklawn Avenue Bridge is being rebuilt as part of a larger $142.8 million project to make numerous improvements, replacing and rehabilitating six bridges carrying Route 37 over local roads, arterials, and rail lines. It is the third of three Route 37-focused projects, representing more than $300 million of improvements to address all bridges and safety concerns along the entire highway. Route 37 is a critical east-west freeway in central Rhode Island, linking the cities of Cranston and Warwick, major retail, office and residential areas, Interstate highways and Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport. With a daily traffic count of 42,000 vehicles, Route 37 is one of the state's busiest corridors.
All construction projects are subject to changes in schedule and scope depending on needs, circumstances, findings and weather.
The rehabilitation of the Oaklawn Avenue Bridge is made possible by RhodeWorks. RIDOT is committed to bringing Rhode Island's infrastructure into a state of good repair while respecting the environment and striving to improve it. Learn more at www.ridot.net/RhodeWorks.