Westbound lanes of Washington Bridge closed until further notice

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Rhode Island Department of Transportation announced the emergency closure of the westbound lanes of the Washington Bridge on Monday.

According to RIDOT, all westbound lanes will be closed and traffic will be diverted to alternate routes as repairs are made over the next few weeks.

Officials say by that time, traffic will be moved to two lanes on the eastbound side of the bridge so permanent repairs to the westbound side can be made. This will require closing two lanes on I-195 east in the area of the India Street exit starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

RIDOT’s Director, Peter Alviti said, “In the process of reconstructing the Washington Bridge, our consultants found urgent safety issues that could cause a critical deficiency on this side of the bridge. We are closing the westbound side until we can make it completely safe.”

The department said depending on the severity of what is found from the initial work, the repair could take three months or more.

Starting immediately, travelers are asked to find alternate routes and follow signed detours which include the following:

• Local traffic in East Providence: Take exit 2 to Broadway. Follow detour signs to the Henderson Bridge and rejoin I-195 west at Gano Street.
• Southeast Massachusetts west of Fall River: Take Massachusetts exit 1 and follow Route 114A. Follow onto Route 114 (Pawtucket Avenue) or Route 1A (Newport Avenue) to I-95. This is the preferred routes for trucks.
• Southeast Massachusetts east of Fall River (including traffic coming from Cape Cod and the New Bedford area): Take Massachusetts exit 14B to Route 24 north. Follow to I-495 north to I-95.