Impact of Washington Bridge closure continues to be felt

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — For plenty of people the closure of the Washington Bridge has not only impacted their commute, but also their lifestyle.

When the westbound side of the bridge first shut down back in December, people were sitting in hours of traffic.

The new traffic patterns have helped some of them, but others say the unpredictability remain frustrating.

“We are right in the middle of it,” The Burrito Bowl Operations Manager Jessica Medeiros said. “That makes people nervous. Things have improved as far as traffic goes, now that they have the details at the lights on Broadway now. But it is still unpredictable and that is what the problem is and people do not want to deal with it.”

People in Wayland Square said 18 wheelers are still tearing up streets and cutting through their neighborhoods to avoid the bridge.

“I live in Wayland Square and it has just been a nightmare with the amount of traffic, the roads are totally torn up, there are potholes every two seconds,” Providence resident Julia Millon said. “The city is doing what they can to fix the potholes but it is just not enough and it is making living here a total nightmare.”

Millon said the issue is so bad that she is now moving out of the area because she can’t deal with the traffic every single day starting at 4 a.m.

It is an expected two full years until traffic can start flowing over the westbound side of the Washington Bridge due to its demolition and reconstruction.