Crime & Safety

Busy Atwood Ave. Intersection to get Traffic Light

The intersection of Walnut Grove and Atwood Avenues was the scene of a pedestrian fatality several years ago.

A busy and dangerous confluence of roads along Atwood Avenue should flow more safely next year thanks to an effort spearheaded by several local elected officials to get traffic lights installed.

The intersection of Atwood Avenue and Walnut Grove Avenue — close to the scene of a pedestrian fatality a few years ago, is now listed as one of the road projects in Cranston that the state Department of Transportation hopes to complete by next august.

The work will also redesign the Atwood Avenue and Plainfield Street intersection along with changes to the entrance to the new Shore's Market (formerly Ruggieri's Market). 

Additionally, the intersection of Walnut Grove Avenue and Elena Street will be reconfigured to make it more like a typical "T" type intersection.

The current configuration can be confusing to people not familiar with the area and during heavily-congested times of day, the proximity of both intersections to each other and zero traffic lights makes for a particularly hairy junction.

The DOT said Sen. Frank S. Lombardi of Cranston and Rep. Stephen R. Ucci of Cranston and Johnston, along with Cranston City Councilman Richard D. Santamaria Jr., were instrumental in the project being green lighted.

"The legislators and councilman said the renovation and traffic signal lighting at the intersection will greatly improve pedestrian and vehicular safety in the area and culminates years of requests by Cranston officials and legislators for the DOT to address the road situation," the DOT said in a release. "Their calls to improve the traffic situation in the area increased following the fatality that involved an elderly pedestrian several years ago."

At Atwood Avenue and Plainfield Street, existing signals will be replaced and the intersection will be slightly widened to provide exclusive left turn lanes and phases on Atwood Avenue northbound and Plainfield Pike eastbound. The southbound leg of Atwood Avenue will be designed with a right turn only lane and a shared through/left turn lane.

At Shore's Market, the driveway will be changed to include just one entrance and exit.


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