The westbound side of the Washington Bridge carrying I-195 between East Providence and Providence is closed, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) said in an “emergency announcement” Monday afternoon.
The closure is due to “a critical failure of some bridge components,” the agency said. The components were part of the original Washington Bridge, built in 1968.
“We know this is going to cause an inconvenience to commuters,” RIDOT Director Peter Alviti Jr. said in a press conference, “but we needed to do this for the sake of everyone’s safety.”
RIDOT says initially it plans to close all westbound lanes, diverting traffic into East Providence and over the Henderson Bridge. Drivers can use the Gano St. onramp to get back on I-195. That closure is expected to last two to three weeks, Alviti said.
Eventually, RIDOT plans to move westbound traffic to two lanes on the eastbound side of the bridge. Actually repairing the bridge will take “at least three months,” Alviti said, depending on what agency engineers find when they begin the initial work.
The Washington Bridge carries 96,000 vehicles daily, according to RIDOT.
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This was a developing story and has been updated.