Temporary Bridge Shift On 1-295 In Johnston Begins June 1

JOHNSTON, RI —A traffic shift to a temporary bridge on I-295 in Johnston, which is expected to be in place for the next six months, is scheduled to begin on June 1.

The temporary bridge will be used over Route 5 as the Greenville Avenue Bridge is replaced as part of a $16.5-million project expected to be completed in 2022.

The change will be in effect for the morning commute on June 1 and is expected to last until the fall. All travel lanes on I-295 South will shift to the bridge that the Rhode Island Department of Transportation built in the center median. This will allow for traffic flow as the RIDOT demolishes the existing bridge.

Greenville Avenue will be closed starting May 31 at night under the bridge with a traffic detour. The closure from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. is expected to last about one week.

During the closure, westbound traffic will use the I-295 North on-ramp, get off at Exit 12A (Route 44/Putnam Pike), and use I-295 South to Exit 10 to get back to Greenville Avenue. Eastbound traffic will be directed to use I-295 South, get off at Exit 9C (Route 6/Hartford Avenue) and use I-295 North to Exit 10 Greenville Avenue.

Once the southbound bridge is completed, traffic will be shifted to that, and the next phase of building the I-295 North bridge will begin with traffic in that direction shifted to the temporary bridge, as the North Greenville Bridge is demolished.

The RI DOT said the 50-year-old bridges typically carry 78,000 vehicles a day.

The project is set for completion in the fall of 2022.