Some important safety improvements are coming to Admiral Kalbfus Road.
The City of Newport shared today in a press release that the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) informed the City on Thursday that it has approved a number of important traffic calming measures on what is one of the City’s busiest roadways.
The work, which is expected to begin in the coming weeks, will include new signage, stricter traffic rules, and the redesignation of Route 138 to JT Connell Highway. It also gives permission to the City to install a school zone speed camera at the corner of Hillside Avenue and Admiral Kalbfus. A further request by the City to signalize the intersection at Sagamore Street is also being supported by RIDOT.
Taken together, the City says in the release that the work is expected to complement the State’s ongoing work to realign the Pell Bridge ramps while at the same time enhancing a series of traffic calming improvements recently completed by the City on Hillside Avenue.
Over the next two weeks, RIDOT indicated that crews will be installing new No Right Turn on Red signage at the Hillside Avenue intersection. That improvement will be followed by the rerouting of Route 138 to JT Connell Highway by the end of November and the installation of dedicated Truck Route signage to shift heavy vehicles away from the upper portion of Admiral Kalbfus. Meanwhile, an application to add a traffic signal at Sagamore Street is scheduled to be considered at the State Traffic Commission’s Dec. 6th meeting, where RIDOT expects the approval of an engineering study.
For its part, the City is also planning on pushing ahead with the installation of a School Zone speed camera and associated signage that will enhance a recently completed Safe Routes to School corridor featuring new dedicated bike lanes, expanded crosswalks, and speed humps.
According to the City, the improvements follow the passage of a resolution by the City Council and a formal request from the City Manager’s Office made earlier in the week and are expected to be discussed at next week’s Council meeting.
