PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) will open a brand new bridge connecting I-95 North to Route 146 North this weekend.

Beginning at 9 p.m. Friday, the off-ramp at Exit 38A will be closed so the bridge can be moved into place. RIDOT said lanes will be narrowed and one of the two lanes will be closed throughout the weekend.

Drivers are urged to use caution in work zones, plan ahead and consider taking alternate routes to their destination.

Anyone looking to avoid the work zone altogether can get onto the highway north of the interchange using the Charles Street, Branch Avenue or North Main Street on-ramps. Drivers already on I-95 North can use I-295 as an alternate route as well.

The bridge installation is part of the $265 million I-95 North Viaduct project. RIDOT said it will install additional signage to mark the location of the lanes to the new ramp before 5 a.m. Monday.

Once the new bridge is installed, RIDOT will demolish the old bridge and build additional lanes as part of a new “collector-distributor road,” which is being built alongside I-95 North.

RIDOT said the new road will open by the end of the year and separate all on- and off-ramp traffic between Atwells Avenue and the State Offices exit from the I-95 North through lanes.

The road design, according to RIDOT, “will improve safety, maximize traffic efficiency and solve chronic congestion problems and reduce vehicle emissions, utilizing the same footprint as the original highway bridges.”

The entire project is scheduled to be done by the fall 2025.