Washington Square traffic detour starts Monday. What to know.

Motorists are advised that beginning the week of March 18, Newport’s utility contractor, Boyle & Fogarty Inc., will begin work at Thames Street and Washington Square to replace an aging water main.

While overnight work is scheduled as part of the project, this phase will be performed during daytime hours between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. and will require detours.

Please note that businesses will remain open and accessible throughout the entirety of the project, however traffic will be diverted around the work zone.

For those traveling on Thames Street, traffic will be diverted to Marlborough Street with a turn onto Charles Street before entering Washington Square. At that point, traffic will be given the option to turn either onto Thames Street or continue up Touro Street.

The project, which is needed to replace a failed water main at Washington Square and Thames Street, is expected to take several weeks to complete.

Crews are scheduled to excavate two test pits to determine the outside diameter of the existing water main and metal plates will be placed over the area while work is underway.

In addition to the test pits, the contractor will be installing a temporary water line from Washington Square, stretching approximately 200 feet along the sidewalk leading down Thames Street.

More information about this, and other construction projects around town, can be found online at www.CityofNewport.com/ConstructionUpdates.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Washington Square traffic detour starts Monday. What to know.