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July 2, 2008

Pawtucket's Division St. Bridge reopens to 2-way traffic

PAWTUCKET -- The first car to travel westbound over the Division Street Bridge in Pawtucket since last year was a Chevy Malibu with Massachusetts plates.

The bridge had been closed to westbound traffic since November, when state officials reorganized the road in anticipation of traffic jams caused by the weight limit posted on Route 95.

Because of the weight limit –– first 22 tons then lowered to 18 tons –– heavy trucks headed north were told to exit Route 95 at exit 17, emptying them onto Division Street.

But the traffic jams never came, and local businesses began lobbying the city, and in turn, the city lobbied the Department of Transportation, to reopen the 130-year-old bridge to two-way traffic.

The state commissioned traffic counts and discovered that there were far fewer trucks exiting the highway in Pawtucket than expected. They may have been exiting far earlier, as signs several towns north and south of the Route 95 bridge warned of the new weight limit and directed traffic to Route 146 or Route 295.

So the DOT restriped and repaved Division Street, between George and Prospect Streets. The Department held a brief ceremony and then, at about 10:30 this morning, a Chevy Malibu drove westbound over the Pawtucket River.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson, with reports from Journal staff writer John Castellucci

Posted by Brandie M. Jefferson  at 11:24 AM | Permalink

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