Route 5 Corridor Improvements

BETA partnered with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation to reimagine Route 5, a heavily traveled arterial serving over 20,000 vehicles daily through a busy commercial corridor anchored by the Warwick Mall. Our work focused on enhancing traffic flow, improving safety, and creating a more pedestrian-friendly environment along this critical stretch from Mayfield Avenue in Cranston to Potters Avenue in Warwick.

In the southern section, from I-95 South to Potters Avenue, BETA redesigned the outdated Route 5/Route 113 interchange. The complex, high-speed configuration was replaced with a more conventional intersection to reduce delays, simplify navigation, and improve safety for all users. The redesign also introduced new pedestrian crossings with clearly defined corridors, making the area more accessible and walkable.

Currently, BETA is advancing design on the northern segment from Mayfield Avenue to I-95. This includes pavement rehabilitation, full superstructure replacement of the Greenwich Avenue Bridge over the Pawtuxet River, and signal upgrades at key intersections. At Knight Street, where a poorly located pedestrian crossing had contributed to fatalities, BETA realigned the intersection opposite the mall entrance, added a new traffic signal, and incorporated streetscape improvements to guide pedestrians to the crossing. A new RIPTA bus stop was also added to support multimodal access.

To ensure the design aligned with the mall’s high-volume traffic demands, BETA conducted extensive traffic analysis. This informed a range of solutions—from new signals and lane configurations to roundabouts and geometric enhancements—ensuring efficient operations even during peak shopping seasons.