Demolishing the Potter Street Bridge on I-195
Drivers traveling through East Providence will face an overnight highway shutdown this weekend. A stretch of the interstate near the Taunton Avenue exit will shut down from 10 p.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday. The closure allows workers to demolish the Potter Street Bridge, a structure that the Rhode Island Department of Transportation says is not wide enough to add lanes underneath.
During the operation, vehicles will be detoured onto Warren Avenue. “The message is, please avoid this area if at all possible,” said Rhode Island Department of Transportation Interim Director Robert Rocchio.
Officials said they hoped treating the demolition as an overnight project would result in less headaches. “As opposed to doing it over several months, taking lanes and having traffic congestion issues,” said Rocchio. According to expectations from RIDOT, at least a single lane of the highway is slated to reopen by 10 a.m. Saturday, and all lanes will be reopened by noon.
Managing the Warren Avenue Detour in East Providence
Crossing Warren Avenue north or southbound won’t be permitted during the closure. “Warren Avenue will be, in effect, 195,” said East Providence Mayor Bob DaSilva.
To make sure cars coming from side streets do not disrupt the movement of vehicles navigating the detour, the municipality has deployed an additional 30 police officers and traffic control staff along Warren Avenue. At the same time, temporary entry and exit ramps are being set up by RIDOT for emergency vehicles during the shutdown period.
The ultimate objective is the construction of two extra westbound lanes and an additional eastbound lane on I-195. Because the Potter Street Bridge lacks the necessary width to accommodate new lanes beneath it, RIDOT scheduled its complete teardown and reconstruction.
“We’re excited about the future of travel through that corridor,” said DaSilva. “I mean, you’re talking about a remarkable change in getting traffic through that corridor. That’s always been historically a punch point that has caused significant backup on that highway.”
A new Potter Street Bridge will be built. It’s anticipated to take between a year and 18 months.
