By Sam Wroblewski 630wpro.com

Construction of a permanent concrete median barrier on the Claiborne Pell Bridge in Newport will begin Monday to make the bridge safer for drivers.

The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority says it will be installing 3,570 individual concrete segments to create the median. The project is intended to prevent head-on collisions similar to the one which killed an elderly man in 2013; a line of reflective cones has served as a median for over a year.

RITBA says the construction is expected to last through May.