Rte. 5 Lane Shifts Delayed By Blizzard

WARWICK, RI — Rte. 5 lane shifts near Knight Street scheduled for Tuesday as part of  reconstruction of the Pontiac Bridge over the Pawtuxet River have been delayed till Feb. 7 by Saturday’s blizzard.

The work is part of the $19.9 million Rte. 5 improvement project.

The Department will reduce travel lanes from two lanes to one for both directions of Rte. 5 at the bridge. Traffic will be shifted onto the southbound lanes on Rte. 5, traveling away from the Warwick Mall, which allows RIDOT to begin demolition and replacement of the northbound side of the bridge.

RIDOT closed the first half of the bridge during 2021 with no impact to traffic flow. Motorists are advised to reduce their speed, drive carefully through the work zone, and be aware of pedestrians.

This change will be in place for about 10 months, and RIDOT will reopen the bridge to two lanes in each direction prior to the holiday shopping season.

Knight Street intersection reconfigured

The project includes reconfiguration of the Knight Street intersection. In February, RIDOT will not permit access to Greenwich Avenue from Route 5 northbound. This part of Greenwich Avenue will become a one-way road toward Route 5. Neighborhood access will be maintained via Knight Street.

Rte. 5 corridor improvements

The work will also make improvements along the Rte. 5 corridor (Lambert Lind Highway/Greenwich Avenue) from Mayfield Avenue in Cranston to the I-95 overpass in Warwick. Work includes new sidewalks, curbs, resurfacing, minor road reconstruction and new signals. Rte. 5 carries 21,000 vehicles per day. The project will be complete in summer 2023.

All construction projects are subject to changes in schedule and scope depending on needs, circumstances, findings, and weather, RIDOT noted.