A reminder to the media and the public of the many upcoming changes at the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV), as the agency gets set to move its headquarters to a new location in Cranston.
DMV will permanently close the Rhode Island Mall branch location, with the last day of operations scheduled for Saturday, August 7, 2010. To accommodate the closing, the Wakefield branch will expand operations to four days per week (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) starting next week (Please note, Monday, August 9th is a state holiday and all DMV locations are closed).
The DMV also announced that beginning Tuesday, August 10, the main testing site for DMV road exams will move to 325 Melrose St. in Providence (the location of the Safety & Emissions Inspections office). Appointments for road tests must be scheduled in advance at any DMV location or by calling 462-5808. Hours of operations for road exams at the Melrose Street location will be 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Road Exams will also continue to be offered at the DMV Middletown office on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Customers with road exams scheduled in Pawtucket through Friday, August 6, should go to the existing Pawtucket test site at the Lynch Arena on Andrew Ferland Way. Customers with appointments scheduled for the Pawtucket site after August 10, must go to the new Melrose Street facility in Providence.
The Pawtucket DMV branch, located at 100 Main Street, will officially close to the public starting Thursday, August 19th. The new DMV headquarters, located at the Forand Building, 600 New London Avenue in Cranston, will officially open to the public at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 25th.
During the move, other DMV branch locations will continue to maintain their current schedule. The Woonsocket and Middletown branches are open 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday; the Wakefield branch is open 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Monday, Wednesday – Friday; and the Warren branch is open 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays.
Online and mail-in transactions will be accepted and processed during the move. In addition, AAA locations will continue to accept and process DMV transactions for AAA customers. Road tests appointments will be honored during this time, and the DMV Safety and Emission Garage will remain open to the public from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
As part of the move, Operator Control, currently located at Harrington Hall on the Pastore Campus in Cranston, will also relocate to the new DMV headquarters in the Forand building. To accommodate the move, Operator Control will be closed Monday, August 23rd, and Tuesday, August 24th, reopening in the Forand building on Wednesday, August 25th.
Please note: written exams for permits and licenses, including commercial drivers’ licenses (CDL), which are only given at the Pawtucket branch, will not be available from August 19th through August 24th. Individuals who need to take the written exams during that period should make arrangements to do so before August 19th, or wait until the new DMV headquarters opens on Wednesday, August 25th.
Please see the attached sheet for details on the updated days and hours of service at each location. In addition, the public is able to process certain transactions on-line at www.dmv.ri.gov, at local AAA offices, and through the mail.