PROVIDENCE – The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is notifying bicyclists that the section of the Blackstone River Bikeway underneath the Manville Bridge in Lincoln will be closed for parts of next week starting September 21 to allow the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) to safely install new steel beams for the bridge where it passes over the bike path.

At 18.2 miles, it is the state's second-longest bikeway and includes 11.6 miles of continuous path along the Blackstone River from Cumberland to Woonsocket.

Because no detours will be provided, DEM advises the public to plan their routes accordingly and maybe to avoid the entire section of the path north of the Blackstone River Watershed Council Environmental Education Center, located at 100 New River Road, Lincoln, from 6:30 AM to 3:30 PM daily while the bridge is repaired. However, RIDOT has worked with the construction contractor to minimize the closure timeframe and the path will be open during late afternoons, early evenings, and weekend days when path usage is periodically higher. The Manville Bridge closed to traffic in May and is expected to reopen nest summer.