On-Ramp Exit To I-295 In Lincoln Closing For Bridge Construction

LINCOLN, RI — The on-ramp exit from Route 146 South to Interstate 295 North in Lincoln will be temporarily closed beginning Friday night, officials said.

The closure, set to begin at 10 p.m. and last until the fall, is part of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation's ongoing Route 146 project, according to officials.

It is needed for construction on the bridge that carries I-295 North over both directions of Route 146, officials added. While the exit is closed, drivers will need to take the next exit onto Route 116 and follow detour signs to reverse direction, using Route 146 North to the I-295 North on-ramp.

Also as part of ongoing construction, drivers on I-295 North heading to Route 146 North should stay right before the interchange and be prepared to take the exit sooner than they normally do, officials said.

"As part of the Department's ongoing $196 million Route 146 Project, RIDOT is currently making much-needed improvements along the Route 146 corridor, replacing multiple bridges, repaving 8 miles of roadway, and correcting numerous safety and congestion problems," RIDOT officials wrote Tuesday. "More than 171,000 vehicles travel Route 146 between Providence and Worcester each day. The new traffic pattern is scheduled to remain in place through Fall 2024."

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

According to RIDOT, the ongoing project began in 2022 and will "make much-needed improvements along the Route 146 corridor, replacing multiple bridges, repaving 8 miles of roadway and correcting numerous safety and congestion problems."

"The project includes the removal of the traffic signal where Route 146 meets Sayles Hill Road and construction of a bridge so the highway can pass freely over Sayles Hill Road," officials continued noting that the intersection averages more than 85 crashes per year.