Local
RIDOT schedules three weekends of overnight I-95 work near Route 10
Overnight closures and detours will affect I-95 near the Route 10 interchange in Providence and Cranston on three weekends starting Oct. 16. State transportation officials estimate detours could add 15 to 20 minutes to trips.
Drivers traveling through Providence and Cranston should plan for overnight I-95 closures and lane restrictions on three consecutive weekends, beginning Friday, Oct. 16, as crews demolish bridge walls at the Route 10 interchange, Exit 33.
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation said lane closures may start after 10 p.m., with some full highway closures beginning at midnight. Most affected lanes are scheduled to reopen by 7 a.m. RIDOT estimates detours may add 15 to 20 minutes, with the longest delays expected in the morning before lanes reopen. The agency recommends considering I-295 or Route 10 as alternate routes.
On Friday and Saturday nights, Oct. 16 and 17, both directions of I-95 will close at midnight after as many as two lanes are shut beginning at 10 p.m. Southbound lanes are scheduled to reopen by 5 a.m.; northbound lanes by 7 a.m.
Southbound drivers will be directed onto Route 10 North at Exit 33B, then to Exit 2A for Reservoir Avenue. They will turn right at the end of the ramp and left onto Route 10 South to reconnect with I-95 South. Northbound traffic will use Exit 33A to Route 10 North toward Providence and follow the connection to I-95 North. An alternate northbound detour sends drivers from Exit 33B to Elmwood Avenue, then back to the Route 10 North entrance ramp.
On Oct. 23 and 24, I-95 South will close at midnight after up to two lanes close at 10 p.m.; all southbound lanes are expected to reopen by 7 a.m. The same southbound detour will be in place. On I-95 North, only the two left lanes are scheduled to close.
The Oct. 30 and 31 work will affect southbound traffic only: up to two lanes will close at 10 p.m., increasing to three lanes at midnight. RIDOT says the highway will be fully open by 7 a.m.
Three ramps will close from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. each Friday and Saturday: Route 10 South to I-95 North, Route 10 North to I-95 South, and I-95 South to Route 10 South. Drivers going from Route 10 South to I-95 North will be routed onto southbound I-95 to Exit 31C at Jefferson Boulevard, where they can make two left turns to enter northbound I-95.
The work is part of RIDOT’s I-95 15 Bridges project, which covers bridges on I-95 and Route 10 between Providence and Warwick. The department says nine of the bridges are structurally deficient. Schedules may change with weather or construction conditions, and additional overnight ramp closures are planned on Sunday-through-Thursday nights. RIDOT provides detour maps and updates through its travel advisories.