The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $196 million Route 146 Reconstruction Project.
More than 171,000 vehicles daily travel the roadway between Providence and Worcester. The project will improve safer and reduce congestion.
Work includes replacing one bridge and implementing preservation or rehabilitation work on four others; repaving from the I-295 interchange to the Massachusetts state line; rebuilding the Route 146/Route 146A interchange; extending the weaving length for the Route 99 Ramp and Route 146 south; improve the geometry of the I-295 southbound off-ramp to Route 146; add bus-on-shoulder accommodations along the southern end of Route 146 in North Providence and Providence; build new drainage systems; build frontage roads for easy and safe access to businesses at the Sayles Hill Road interchange; replace guardrail and making other safety improvements; and extending the existing fiber-optic lines and intelligent transportation systems/traffic monitoring from the I-295 interchange to the Massachusetts state line.
In addition, a flyover bridge will be built to carry Route 146 over Sayles Hill Road. This will eliminate the only traffic light on all of Route 146. The intersection averages more than 85 crashes annually and is a source of significant congestion and travel delay.
Work is expected to be completed in 2026.