NORTH SMITHFIELD – Route 146, close to the Massachusetts border, will be closed overnight on Friday, March 24 to allow for the safe removal of the Central Street bridge.
The bridge carries Route 5 over the highway in North Smithfield. Its replacement will affect the highway through Saturday night, although individual lanes will be opened beginning Saturday morning.
The $7.7 million project of the R.I. Department of Transportation recently was promoted along the highway, through electronic display signs aimed at commuters.
The 146 closure is set to begin at 10 p.m. Friday, according to Charles St. Martin, a RIDOT spokesman. The demolition of the old bridge will occur overnight.
One lane will open in each direction on Route 146 beginning at 6 a.m. Saturday, March 25. All lanes should be reopened by 9 that night.
Motorists looking for alternate routes are advised to use 146A.
The Central Street bridge itself will be closed through the fall. Final completion of its replacement is expected in spring 2018.
The bridge has been classified as structurally deficient for more than 18 years, according to the state.
