Starting on Dec. 4 RIDOT will remove the old Slocum Bridge and replace it with a concrete drainage structure.

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) announced it has been able to fast-track work on a bridge along a rural road in North Kingstown that recently was posted for buses and other heavy vehicles.

Starting on Dec. 4, the state-owned Slocum Bridge on Railroad Avenue in North Kingstown will be closed to all traffic. RIDOT will remove the old bridge and replace it with a concrete drainage structure. This simpler design for handling stormwater running under the road, costing $278,000, is less expensive than replacing the bridge and will result in less maintenance costs over time.

The closure period will be approximately two weeks. When the road reopens, there no longer will be any weight limit and RIDOT will remove a single-lane alternating traffic pattern that has been in place since 2013 because of the deteriorated condition of the bridge.

During the closure, all traffic will follow the detour utilized by buses and trucks, using Railroad Avenue, Liberty Road, Route 2 (South County Trail), Exeter Road, and back to Railroad Avenue. A detour map is available at ridot.net/detourmaps.

The bridge was scheduled for replacement in 2018, but with the posting of the weight limit in October, RIDOT moved quickly to obtain the necessary permits and approvals to do the project this fall.

The Slocum Bridge dates back to 1928 and carries approximately 4,500 vehicles per day through rural Slocum village.

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