Gano Street off-ramp closing as part of bridge rehabilitation project
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) today announced start of a new phase of work on the bridge rehabilitation project for the portion of the Washington Bridge that carries westbound traffic from East Providence to Providence. The work starting in August will require lane shifts on I-195 along with a long-term closure of Exit 3, the off-ramp to Gano Street and the East Side of Providence.
Starting the week of August 5, construction will begin on a temporary on-ramp for motorists to use for access to I-195 West from Taunton Avenue/Route 44. This work will include a lane shift after the Broadway exit, with all lanes shifted to the left.
Next, RIDOT will conduct a temporary weekend-long closure of the existing Taunton Avenue on-ramp, from 9 p.m. on Friday, August 17 through 5 a.m. on Monday, August 20. The closure is needed to finalize construction on the temporary ramp. During this temporary closure, traffic will be directed to follow a detour to the Broadway on-ramp for I-195 West.
Also during the week of August 20, a series of traffic pattern changes will go into effect. They include:
- Closing the Gano Street off-ramp (Exit 3)
- Opening the temporary on-ramp from Taunton Avenue
These changes, including the closure of the Gano Street off-ramp, will remain in place until Fall 2019. RIDOT will establish a recommended detour for Exit 3 using Exit 2 (South Main Street), Pike Street, South Water Street and India Street to return to Gano Street.
These changes will create a safe work zone in which RIDOT can begin rehabilitation of the northern half of the bridge in the shortest amount of time. The temporary on-ramp will sharply cut the duration of an anticipated closure of the ramp by two years. Detour maps are available on RIDOT's website at www.ridot.net/DetourMaps.
In Fall 2019, RIDOT will reopen the currently closed Veterans Memorial Parkway and Warren Avenue on-ramps. The entire $22.3 million Washington Bridge project wraps up in Fall 2020.
This portion of the Washington Bridge is a separate structure from the portion which carries eastbound traffic, which RIDOT replaced in the late 2000s. It has been more than 20 years since the last major rehabilitation of the westbound bridge, which was built in 1969 and carries 70,000 vehicles per day. The bridge is structurally deficient. It would be more than twice as costly to replace the westbound portion of the Washington Bridge as it is to repair it.
The Washington Bridge Rehabilitation Project was made possible by RhodeWorks, RIDOT's ongoing commitment to repair structurally deficient bridges and bring Rhode Island's transportation infrastructure into a state of good repair, promote economic development, and create jobs. Learn more at www.ridot.net/RhodeWorks.