This "missing move" highway ramp was never included when the original Route 6/10 interchange was built in the 1950s, requiring people for approximately 70 years to use local streets through Olneyville Square to make this connection. The flyover is one of the signature pieces of RIDOT's ongoing $410-million Route 6/10 Interchange project. The opening ceremony took place on the ramp and included a procession of vehicles driving over the bridge for the first time.
"This highway ramp literally was decades in the making, as was the entire Route 6/10 project itself," Alviti said. "While the 6/10 project has two more years of construction, we were able to schedule our work to be able to deliver this ramp for the public well ahead of schedule."
The sweeping ramp is more than 940 feet long, passing more than 50 feet above Route 10. It is 26 feet wide, and its single travel lane is flanked by wide shoulders on both sides to accommodate any disabled vehicles while keeping the ramp open to travelers. RIDOT expects it will carry approximately 15,370 vehicles per day.
Plans for the entire 6/10 Interchange project sat on the drawing board for nearly 30 years prior to RIDOT moving it forward as part of the RhodeWorks program. During the years of indecision and inaction on this highway link, its network of bridges deteriorated to the point where seven of nine bridges were classified as structurally deficient. Temporary supports were installed and millions of dollars spent in a series of repair projects necessary to keep the interchange safe and open.
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The 6/10 Interchange project is scheduled for final completion in fall 2023.
