Lane restrictions coming to the Mount Hope Bridge

BRISTOL, R.I. (WLNE) — The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority announced lane restrictions for the next few months on the Mount Hope Bridge.

These restrictions will go into effect at 9 a.m. Monday, and RIBTA announced cable air flow testing will begin Monday morning on the bridge on weekdays until May 17.

Work will run from Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Fridays it will run until 1 p.m.

The cable air flow testing is part of the Mount Hope Bridge’s dehumidification project which the RIBTA says should extend the bridge’s lifespan by 50 to 75 years.

While these restrictions are in place, traffic is going to be down to just one lane, so some backups are likely for the next 10 weeks.

RIBTA says its plan is to get the work done before the summer and outside of rush hour travel times to make construction on the bridge as little of an impact as possible on people’s commutes.