Commuters enter day two of Washington Bridge traffic pattern change
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — After moving the crossover point on the Washington Bridge yesterday, RIDOT crews have spent the overnight hours restriping the lanes on I-195 west.
Officials from RIDOT said commuters heading towards Massachusetts will notice the thinner lanes as they get into their commute this morning.
Commuters should expect delays as they adjust to these new paths, but officials say this work is all part of easing traffic in the long run.
Crews expected to have three lanes of traffic in both directions put in place by or before April 22nd, just under two weeks away.
“Vehicles will be crossing over the westbound direction will be crossing over to the eastbound lane a little bit earlier than they are now, about 3000 feet west from where they’re crossing right now but there will be an additional lane or a 50 percent increase in both directions in both eastbound and westbound,” said RIDOT Director Peter Alviti.
Drivers saw delays early Tuesday morning after the crossover point was moved about half a mile towards east providence, causing traffic to back up onto some side streets and detours.
Alviti announced the plan to switch to three lanes both ways back in February.
The ongoing work on the bridge has also lowered the speed limit down to 40 miles per hour, and we’ll keep you up to date with any delays in travel as our morning coverage continues.
