Travel Advisory: RIDOT Installing Road Diet and Bike Lanes Along a Section of Willett Avenue in East Providence and Barrington

As part of its ongoing project to resurface numerous roads in the East Bay area of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is changing the traffic pattern on a section of Willett Avenue in East Providence and Barrington. The changes include a road diet, reducing the number of travel lanes from two to one in each direction, and providing a buffer-separated bike lane along both sides of the road.

The road diet begins at the intersection of Willett Avenue and Metropolitan Park Drive in East Providence and continues through the large traffic circle at County Road in Barrington. Road diets are a proven traffic calming measure to reduce speed and improve safety for turning traffic and pedestrians crossing the road. RIDOT has implemented road diets in numerous communities across Rhode Island.

The reduction of a travel lane provided an opportunity for the installation of a bike lane to make it safer to bike along this road. The bike lanes will run along Willett Avenue eastbound from Metropolitan Park Drive to Richmond Avenue in East Providence, and along Willett Avenue westbound from County Road at the beginning of the traffic circle in Barrington to Metropolitan Park Drive in East Providence.

Aside from serving residents along this section of Willett Avenue, the bike lane could connect to other bike lanes or routes the state or local communities may consider in the future. Additionally, the East Bay Bike Path is a short distance to the west of the traffic circle at Metropolitan Park Drive where the new bike lane begins.

RIDOT has begun striping, reducing the number of travel lanes and laying out the bike lanes. Work on the road diet and bike lane installation will be done Sunday-Thursday nights, finishing in approximately two weeks, weather dependent. The final configuration will include a buffer zone with diagonal hash lines. To the right of the buffer will be the new bike lane. There also will be signage and stenciled bike symbols on the bike lane section of pavement. On numerous other projects, RIDOT has incorporated a buffer zone between bikes and cars for an improved measure of safety.

These changes were planned in coordinated with the local communities.

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