PROVIDENCE — The state Department of Transportation issued a reminder to motorists that it will close Route 95 in Providence on various nights over the next two weeks for Iway-related construction. The closures will also affect traffic on Route 195 west to Route 95 north. The work will be done during overnight hours, when traffic volumes are the lowest, to minimize effects on motorists.

The full highway closures are scheduled to begin on Thursday and conclude on Tuesday. Route 95 and Route 195 west to Route 95 will be closed Thursday and Sunday through Tuesday.:

The DOT will close at least one lane in each direction on Route 95 after 8 each night of the closures, with the full closures taking place after 11 p.m. All lanes will be restored by 5 a.m. the next day, prior to the morning commute. All work and schedules are weather dependent.

The work zone will be between Exit 19, Route 195 in the northbound lanes, Eddy Street southbound, and Exit 21, Broadway northbound; Atwells Avenue southbound. Additionally, Route 195 west after Exit 2, South Main Street, will only be open to traffic heading to Route 95 south.

The closures are required to allow for the installation of steel beams for the new Clifford Street Bridge, which is being built as part of the Iway project. The bridge will span Route 95 in roughly the same footprint as the former Friendship Street on-ramp to the old Route 195 east. The frequent relocations of Exit 20, from Route 95 south to Route 195 east, this fall were required before this next step in the process of building the new bridge.

The DOT plans to open the Clifford Street Bridge to traffic in late 2010, along with additional highway on-ramps and service roads that will improve travel to and from the Jewelry District, Downcity and the West Side of Providence.

Through traffic on Route 95 north or south should use Route 10 as a detour. Local traffic on Route 95 and on Route195 west to Route 95 north should follow detours using city streets. The DOT will install signs along the detour routes to guide motorists.

The detour routes are as follows:

•Route 95 north –– Take Exit 16 and follow Route 10 north to return to Route 95 north after the work zone. Or, detour using Exit 18, Thurbers Avenue, and follow a city detour using Allens Avenue, Eddy Street, Dyer Street and Memorial Boulevard to return to Route 95 north using the on-ramp adjacent to Providence Place mall. Motorists will be able to use Exit 19 for Route 195 east.

•Route 95 south –– Motorists should use Exit 22B and follow Route 10 south to return to Route 95 south in Cranston. Or, detour using Exit 22A, Downtown, and follow a city detour using Memorial Boulevard, Dyer Street, Eddy Street, Allens Avenue and Blackstone Street to return to Route 95 south.

•Route 95 south to Route 195 east –– Use Exit 21, Atwells Avenue, and follow Service Road No. 7 to Plain Street on-ramp to Route 195 east.

•Route 95 south to hospitals complex –– Use Exit 21, Atwells Avenue, and follow detour using Service Road No. 7, Plain Street, Borden Street, and Crary Street to reach Eddy Street and the hospitals complex.

•Route 195 west to Route 95 north –– Take Exit 2, South Main Street, turn left onto Steeple Street, and then follow Memorial Boulevard to on-ramp to Route 95 north adjacent to Providence Place mall. Alternately, follow South Main Street to North Main Street to Charles Street to on-ramp to Route 95 North.

The DOT will use signs and electronic message boards to alert motorists of the closure and detour routes. Information will be available on the department’s Web site, www.dot.ri.gov. Information will also be available by dialing 511 (1-888-401-4511 for out-of-state callers), listening to 1630 AM on the DOT’s Highway Advisory Radio, or by calling DOT’s customer service office at (401) 222-2450 on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Journal Staff