The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is reminding motorists of a traffic pattern change for a section of the Washington Bridge, which carries I-195 West from East Providence to Providence. This change will allow for continued rehabilitation of this important structure, which is classified as structurally deficient.
On Friday, November 16 during the evening and overnight hours, the Department will restripe the bridge to provide three through lanes for I-195 traffic and a dedicated lane for traffic entering the highway from Taunton Avenue/Route 44. The new traffic pattern will be in place by 5 a.m. Saturday, November 17.
During the overnight work, RIDOT will temporarily close the Taunton Avenue on-ramp. Traffic will follow a signed detour using Valley Street, Warren Avenue and Broadway. A detour map can be found online at www.ridot.net/DetourMaps. Lane closures are also possible on I-195 West overnight. As part of this project, the Gano Street off-ramp (Exit 3) will remain closed. These changes are necessary to create a safe work zone in which RIDOT can begin rehabilitation of the northern half of the Washington Bridge in the shortest amount of time. This traffic pattern will be in place for approximately six months.
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 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.