Travel Advisory: Great Road to Go Down to One Lane for Union Village Railroad Bridge Replacement in North Smithfield

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will take the Union Village Railroad Bridge in North Smithfield down to one lane with alternating direction controlled by a temporary traffic signal on each side of the bridge starting on Friday night, May 14. The traffic change allows RIDOT to begin replacing a portion of the bridge which carries Great Road over the Providence & Worcester rail line between Lapre Road and Meadowbrook Drive.

RIDOT expects moderate travel time delays but will monitor traffic conditions and adjust the traffic signal timing to minimize waiting at the light. The temporary traffic pattern also will prohibit access to Lapre Road at Great Road, but a signed detour will be established at the next side street, Hillview Avenue, to allow access to homes in this neighborhood.

The $5.2 million project for the Union Village Railroad Bridge will replace the structure in phases. RIDOT will demolish and replace the west side of the bridge first. In approximately six months, the Department will shift traffic onto the newly built portion so it can demolish and replace the eastern side of the bridge. Two-way traffic will be restored in summer 2022 and the entire project done in summer 2023.

The Union Village Railroad Bridge is 89 years old and structurally deficient. It carries 13,200 vehicles per day and is a popular route for travel to and from neighboring Woonsocket. RIDOT is using accelerated bridge construction methods with pre-cast concrete bridge components to shorten the duration of construction by several months.

The May 14 date is dependent on utility coordination, and if necessary would be postponed one week to Friday night, May 21.

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

The Union Village Railroad Bridge Project was made possible by RhodeWorks, RIDOT's ongoing commitment to repair structurally deficient bridges and bring Rhode Island's transportation infrastructure into a state of good repair, promote economic development, and create jobs. Learn more at www.ridot.net/RhodeWorks.