RIDOT: Main Avenue Narrowing Oct. 17

WARWICK, RI — The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is putting a section of Main Avenue on a road diet, narrowing four travel lanes to two with a center turn lane, the week of Oct. 17.

RIDOT’s road diet will take effect along a section of Main Avenue (Route 113) between Rte. 5 and Jefferson Boulevard in Warwick, according to the agency. The move is intended to address chronic speeding, crashes and narrow lanes along the busy road. RIDOT said it coordinated closely with City officials on the new traffic configuration in their announcement Tuesday.

Road diets involve converting an existing four-lane road to three lanes, with one travel lane in each direction and a center, two-way left-turn lane. Studies have shown that crashes within road diets are reduced by more than 40 percent.

Main Avenue, the site of routine crashes and reports of pedestrians struck by cars, was last significantly altered in 2016, when the extension of TF Green Airport’s Runway 5-23 required the relocation of a portion of Main Avenue between Warwick Industrial Drive and just west of Greeley Avenue.

The narrowing will start at Bailey Street and end at Sycamore Avenue, according to RIDOT’s announcement.

“This will provide a transition back to a four-lane road on either end of Main Avenue to line up with the traffic signals at Route 5 and Jefferson Boulevard and provide more space for vehicles waiting at red lights,” RIDOT noted in its statement.

Along this stretch of Main Avenue,  RIDOT reports there have been 59 crashes in the past five years, including one fatal crash and 14 crashes with injuries. RIDOT also studied travel times with the current traffic pattern and with the road diet. There was a minor increase in travel times – on average only about 25 seconds. RIDOT has installed road diets in several locations across the state.

Once the road diet is in place along Main Avenue, RIDOT will evaluate its effectiveness along with the City of Warwick.