RIDOT to Begin Kingston Station Railroad Bridge Replacement

RIDOT to replace Kingston Station bridge

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will begin a major replacement of the Kingston Station Railroad Bridge on Friday night, November 20.

According to a report from ri.gov, the project requires immediate traffic pattern changes on Route 138 (Kingstown Road) at Railroad Avenue. This stretch of road serves as the primary access point for Kingston Station, which is a critical hub for Amtrak trains and Rhode Island Public Transit (RIPTA) buses.

The replacement process is a phased undertaking that will fundamentally alter how commuters reach the station for the next several years. To facilitate the demolition and reconstruction of the southern half of the bridge, all vehicle traffic will be shifted to the north side of the structure.

This specific traffic configuration is expected to remain in place for approximately one year. Once the southern portion is complete, RIDOT will shift traffic to the newly constructed section to begin work on the remaining side of the bridge. The department expects the entire bridge replacement to be finished by the end of 2028.

Commuter access and parking changes

The construction footprint necessitates several adjustments for motorists, pedestrians, and transit users. Because the work involves the southern half of the bridge, RIDOT must close a portion of Railroad Avenue where it passes under Route 138.

Kingston station is a major railway station located in kingston upon

Station users should prepare for the following logistical shifts:

A temporary traffic signal and new crosswalks will be installed at the intersection of Route 138 and Railroad Avenue.
All access to Kingston Station will be restricted to the southern entrance of Railroad Avenue only.
The traffic island at the southern entrance will be removed to allow both eastbound and westbound traffic on Route 138 to utilize that entrance.
The dedicated left-turn lane for Route 138 westbound at Fairgrounds Road will be removed during construction.
Drivers using the northern overflow parking area will need to utilize the crosswalk at Route 138 and follow the sidewalks along Railroad Avenue to reach the station.
South County Bike Path users may use the main parking lot but are required to park near the trailhead at the far end of the lot.

The reduction in available parking is a notable friction point for daily commuters. The project will result in the loss of 10 parking spaces in the northern overflow area along Railroad Avenue. However, RIDOT noted that this work follows an expansion completed last summer, which added 129 new spaces and brought the total station capacity to 344 spaces.

Commuters are reminded that University of Rhode Island parking is strictly prohibited at the station. Detailed detour maps are being provided by the department at www.ridot.net/DetourMaps.

The broader Route 138 corridor project

This bridge replacement is not an isolated repair but a component of a much larger infrastructure investment. It falls under the umbrella of the $82.3 million Route 138 Corridor project.

The scope of the larger project includes several long-term improvements to the area’s transit efficiency, such as new sidewalks, traffic signal upgrades, and the resurfacing of Route 138 from Route 2 (South County Trail) to Route 108 (Kingstown Road). While the bridge work is moving into its active phase, the broader corridor improvements are still in the design stage. RIDOT expressed hope to begin that specific work later in 2027.

The timeline for these massive regional changes is extensive. While the bridge itself should be operational by the end of 2028, the entire Route 138 corridor project is not scheduled for completion until spring 2029.

Project Phase	Estimated Completion
Kingston Station Bridge Replacement	End of 2028
Route 138 Corridor Improvements	Spring 2029

As with most large-scale public works, RIDOT has cautioned that all construction schedules and project scopes remain subject to change based on weather conditions, site findings, and other unforeseen circumstances.

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