Route 146 is a
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...
in the U.S. state of
Rhode Island
Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
, maintained by the
Rhode Island Department of Transportation
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is a Rhode Island state government agency charged with design, construction, maintenance and inspection of a wide range of transportation infrastructure. These include 3,300 lane miles of st ...
(RIDOT). Running along a northwest–southeast axis, it links the cities of
Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
,
Woonsocket
Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsoc ...
, and
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...
.
The southern terminus of Route 146 is located at
Interstate 95 (I-95) in Providence. The majority of the route is a
freeway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...
, with the exception of at-grade crossings and driveway access in the towns of
North Smithfield
North Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, settled as a farming community in 1666 and incorporated into its present form in 1871. North Smithfield includes the historic villages of Forestdale, Primrose, Waterf ...
and
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincoln (na ...
. The northern terminus is located at the Rhode Island–Massachusetts state line in
Millville, where it transitions into
Massachusetts Route 146 and continues northbound towards the
Massachusetts Turnpike
The Massachusetts Turnpike (colloquially the "Mass Pike" or "the Pike") is a controlled-access toll road that runs concurrently with Interstate 90 (I-90) in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It the longest Interstate Highway in Massachu ...
in
Millbury and
I-290
Interstate 290 may refer to the following Interstate Highways in the United States:
*Interstate 290 (Illinois), a highway from Chicago, Illinois, to Rolling Meadows, Illinois
*Interstate 290 (Massachusetts), a highway in Massachusetts that connects ...
in Worcester.
Route description
Route 146 begins in downtown
Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
at I-95 northbound exit 38 (there is no direct access from I-95 southbound; access to Route 146 is via surface streets). Locally it is known as Old Louisquisset Pike, and is a narrow four-lane
freeway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...
with no shoulders and a simple
Jersey barrier
A Jersey barrier, Jersey wall, or Jersey bump is a modular concrete or plastic barrier employed to separate lanes of traffic. It is designed to minimize vehicle damage in cases of incidental contact while still preventing vehicle crossovers resu ...
median separating oncoming traffic. The first two interchanges are partial access only, with
Route 7 (Douglas Avenue) and
Route 246 (Charles Street) and provide access between Route 146 and I-95 via surface streets for where there is no direct access (southbound I-95 to northbound Route 146, and southbound Route 146 to northbound I-95). The first complete interchange is a diamond interchange with Branch Avenue, followed by a partial interchange with
Route 15 (no northbound entrance to Route 146). The next interchange, with Route 246 a second time, provides the access missing from the Route 15 interchange.
At this point, now in
North Providence
North Providence is a New England town, town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 34,114 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the Town of North ...
the "Old Louisquisset Pike" designation leaves to follow Route 246, and the Route 146 freeway becomes the Eddie Dowling Highway. Near the southern boundary of
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincoln (na ...
, there is a southbound-only offramp (no other access) with Route 246, while the northbound side abuts Olney Pond in the
Lincoln Woods State Park. Two
partial cloverleaf
A partial cloverleaf interchange or parclo is a modification of a cloverleaf interchange.
The design has been well received, and has since become one of the most popular freeway-to-arterial road, arterial Interchange (road), interchange designs ...
interchanges follow with Twin River Road and
Route 123/Breakneck Hill Road. The next interchange northbound is a
right-in/right-out
Right-in/right-out (RIRO) and left-in/left-out (LILO) refer to a type of three-way road intersection where turning movements of vehicles are restricted. A RIRO permits only right turns and a LILO permits only left turns. "Right-in" and "left-in" r ...
terminus of Sherman Avenue, while southbound has access to Route 246 here. A single onramp provides Wilbur Road an entrance to northbound Route 146 next, then a modified cloverleaf interchange with
Route 116, followed shortly by a full cloverleaf interchange with
I-295
Interstate 295
is the designation for the following eight Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to I-95:
*Interstate 295 (Delaware–Pennsylvania), a bypass of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Interstate 295 (Florida), a be ...
and the southern terminus of
Route 99, which is a short connector freeway to the city of
Woonsocket
Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsoc ...
. Route 99 access is a northbound exit/southbound entrance only, the other directions need to use surface streets for access.
North of this interchange, the road turns into an
arterial road
An arterial road or arterial thoroughfare is a high-capacity urban road that sits below highway
A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights o ...
with at-grade crossings and driveway access through the southern part of the town of
North Smithfield, Rhode Island
North Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, settled as a farming community in 1666 and incorporated into its present form in 1871. North Smithfield includes the historic villages of Forestdale, Primrose, Water ...
. A stoplight marks the only major intersection, an at-grade crossing with Sayles Hill Road, which doubles back and has a right in/right out interchange with southbound Route 146. At the partial interchange with
Route 146A (northbound exit and southbound entrance) the freeway resumes, now called the North Smithfield Expressway, which has three interchanges in the town:
Route 104, Pound Hill Road, and a complex interchange with School Street and Route 146A that also provides access to
Route 5 and
Route 102. Approximately north of this interchange, the freeway continues into Massachusetts as
Massachusetts Route 146, the Worcester–Providence Pike.
History
Prior to the construction of the two freeway sections, Route 146 used present-day
Route 246 and
Route 146A. The only part of the original alignment still in use is the non-freeway section between
I-295
Interstate 295
is the designation for the following eight Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to I-95:
*Interstate 295 (Delaware–Pennsylvania), a bypass of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Interstate 295 (Florida), a be ...
/
Route 99 and Route 146A in the southern part of North Smithfield.
In May 2019, Route 146 received mile-based exit numbers. Previously, the exits were unnumbered.
RIDOT erected two toll
gantries in 2019, one in Lincoln and one in North Smithfield, for truck-only
electronic toll collection
Electronic toll collection (ETC) is a wireless system to automatically collect the usage fee or Road pricing, toll charged to vehicles using toll roads, HOV lanes, toll bridges, and toll tunnels. It is a faster alternative which is replacing Tol ...
. Those gantries have been shut off since September 2022.
Future
In May 2019, the
Rhode Island Senate
The Rhode Island Senate is the upper house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the lower house being the Rhode Island House of Representatives. It is composed of 38 Senators, each of w ...
announced that the state would borrow $200 million to reconfigure I-95 through Downtown Providence, near the southern terminus of Route 146. The replacement of the Providence Viaduct with twin bridges is intended to alleviate the
bottleneck
Bottleneck may refer to:
* the narrowed portion (neck) of a bottle
Science and technology
* Bottleneck (engineering), where the performance of an entire system is limited by a single component
* Bottleneck (network), in a communication network
* ...
created by traffic entering I-95 from
US Route 6 (US 6) and
Route 10, and exiting towards Route 146 and
US 44. The project is expected to cost $250 million.
In 2022, RIDOT began work on an overpass at Sayles Hill Road, the only set of traffic signals along the route in Rhode Island. The project also includes constructing service roads and bus bays, and rebuilding the interchange with Route 146A at North Smithfield. Work is scheduled to be completed in 2026.
Major intersections
Route 146A
Route 146A is a numbered state highway running in
Rhode Island
Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
. It was designated as Route 146 before the construction of the North Smithfield Expressway. The road follows a former stagecoach path through historic
Union Village in
North Smithfield
North Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, settled as a farming community in 1666 and incorporated into its present form in 1871. North Smithfield includes the historic villages of Forestdale, Primrose, Waterf ...
. This road was known as "the
Great Road". The northern end of the road crosses the state line near Buxton Street at
Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States, first colonized in 1662 and incorporated in 1727. It was originally part of the town of Mendon, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. The town is located southwest of Boston an ...
. This section was known as
Ironstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical replacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron ore compound from which iron (Fe) can be smelted commercially.
Not to be c ...
, after good quality bog iron ore found near here.
It runs for through North Smithfield on Route 146 to
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
state line at
Route 146A using Eddie Dowling Highway, Smithfield Road,
Great Road, Victory Highway, North Main Street and Quaker Highway.
Major intersections
See also
*
References
External links
2019 Highway Map, Rhode Island{{Numbered routes in Rhode Island, state=expanded
146 146 may refer to:
*146 (number), a natural number
*AD 146, a year in the 2nd century AD
*146 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC
*146 (Antrim Artillery) Corps Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers
*146 Lucina, a main-belt asteroid
*Alfa Romeo 146
The ...
Transportation in Providence County, Rhode Island