RHODE ISLAND, June 17 - Starting Friday night, June 21, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will have lane closures on Route 37 eastbound near the Pontiac Avenue exit in Cranston.

The closures begin at 9 p.m. Friday and may extend through the weekend. All lanes will reopen by 6 a.m. on Monday, June 24. At least one lane of travel will remain open at all times.

Drivers should expect delays and should consider alternate routes. Additionally, traffic using the on-ramp from Pontiac Avenue northbound to Route 37 East will need to come to a full stop before merging onto the highway. All ramps will remain open.

The lane closures are necessary for work on the highway on either side of the bridge over the Pawtuxet River, which RIDOT installed last fall.

RIDOT will complete any final paving along the Route 37 project area between the Post Road and Pontiac Avenue interchanges this summer prior to the completion of the project this fall.

This $71.9 million, multi-bridge project repaired deficient bridges along the Route 37 corridor with preservation, major rehabilitation, and/or reconstruction of 12 bridge structures in Cranston and Warwick. Six of these bridges were structurally deficient. Four were replaced and two other bridges were rehabilitated. The project also included safety improvements at the Pontiac Avenue interchange from Route 37 West.

Route 37 is a critical east-west freeway in central Rhode Island, linking the cities of Cranston and Warwick, major retail, office and residential areas, Interstate highways and T.F. Green International Airport. With a daily traffic count of 42,000 vehicles, Route 37 is one of the state's busiest corridors. The project was funded in part by a $20 million federal TIGER grant secured by Rhode Island's Congressional delegation.

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

The Route 37 Project is made possible by RhodeWorks and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. RIDOT is committed to bringing Rhode Island's infrastructure into a state of good repair while respecting the environment and striving to improve it. Learn more at www.ridot.net/RhodeWorks.