NORTH SMITHFIELD – The Rhode Island Department of Transportation has announced that a portion of Route 146A South in North Smithfield will close for 24 hours Friday night for bridge construction at the interchange at Route 146. During this time, RIDOT also will reduce Route 146 North to one lane of travel at Route 146A.
The closure will begin at 9 p.m. on Friday, March 14 with anticipation that all lanes will reopen by 9 p.m. Saturday, March 15.
During the closure, Route 146A southbound traffic will need to follow a detour using Smithfield Road and Greenville Road to access Route 146 North or South. RIDOT advised that motorists plan additional time for travel and to follow the detour route. A map highlighting this route is available at www.ridot.net/DetourMaps.
According to RIDOT, the closures are necessary for steel installation for the Spring Brook Bridge, which will carry both directions of Route 146 over Route 146A South when finished.
The entire Route 146 Project includes needed improvements to the Route 146 corridor that aim to make it safer, improve transit connections, and reduce congestion and vehicle emissions. In addition to the new diverging diamond intersection, RIDOT is in the process of building a new flyover bridge for Route 146 traffic to pass over Sayles Hill Road, eliminating the need for the existing traffic signal – the only traffic light on all of Route 146 in Rhode Island. The project also will replace or repair five bridges and repave 8 miles of roadway.
The $196 million project was funded in part by a $65 million federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant, which was secured by Rhode Island’s Congressional delegation. It is expected to be finished in summer 2026.
