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The level of the national primary and secondary 24-hour ambient air quality standards for particulate matter is 150 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m 3), 24-hour average concentration.
Noise Data to Date from Overnight Construction 9pm – 6am. for the Washington Bridge
Dust Data to Date from Overnight Construction 9pm – 6am. for the Washington Bridge
A Message from Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee: We apologize for the disruption that many Rhode Islanders are experiencing as a result of the Washington Bridge closure. These charts are an additional tool to help residents anticipate and plan for the added drive time on different days of the week at different times of the day. I thank you for your continued patience. Together, we will fix the bridge, we will do it right and we will keep Rhode Islanders safe. |
HOW TO USE: For each of the nine travel routes highlighted below, RIDOT has provided three helpful charts. The first chart shows the additional time needed to cross the bridge at different hours on different days, compared to early December. Please note that travel times vary for a number of unplanned factors, including weather conditions and accidents.
The “Current Conditions†chart compares this week’s travel times to last week’s and is updated every weekday. The third chart provides the travel times for the week prior to the bridge’s closure in early December.
The following charts provide travel time information over the prior month, compared to the same date range one year ago, prior to the bridge closure as well as traffic volume on the bridge. Travel Reports are updated weekly.
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Motorists can anticipate the closures of up to two lanes for bridge preventative maintenance on I-195 East, from Exit 1A (India Street) to Exit 1B-C (Taunton Avenue/Riverside), from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and the closure of Exit 1B/C off I-195 East, from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., Sunday-Thursday nights. Please follow signed detours. We’ll also have a left lane closure for overnight electrical work on I-195 East, from the Providence River Bridge to the India Point Park Pedestrian Bridge, Thursday night from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Also, we will be doing overhead electronic message sign preventative maintenance which will require a left lane closure adjacent to Exit 1A off I-195 East, Thursday night from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., and a right shoulder closure at the Gano Street on-ramp to I-195 West, Thursday night from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. |
| Click here for project update archives |
In accordance with legislation passed into law on May 7, 2024, RIDOT has submitted the first of 28 monthly Washington Bridge Snapshot Reports, based on expected completion of the project by August 2026. Each report will include a rolling 4-week period defined as the last week of the prior month and three weeks of the current month. The full text of the report is below. Reports will be posted to the RIDOT website on or before the first of each month.
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) closed the west bound side of the Washington Bridge due to the finding of a critical failure of some bridge components. These particular components are part of the original Washington Bridge which was built in 1968. They were uncovered during the reconstruction of the Washington Bridge.
The failing components called anchor rods were identified by RIDOT consultants during an inspection of the ongoing work but in an area that was not part of the reconstruction project. The consultant’s report can be viewed here. RIDOT’s plan to restore the westbound side to full function is documented in the press release below. Please see maps following the press release for full detour details and instructions.
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is requesting $220,980,000 in Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant (MEGA Grant) support for the $368,300,000 Full Replacement of the I-195 Washington Bridge project.
During work on a pre-existing $78-million project to rehabilitate the Washington Bridge westbound, RIDOT consultants identified a critical failure of some bridge components in a different area of the bridge. The components, called anchor rods, are part of the original bridge structure built in 1968 and provide counterbalance for a cantilevered bridge structure. RIDOT moved to close the bridge to all traffic for the safety of the motoring public.
RIDOT has seven engineering consulting firms working to determine how the bridge components failed and to provide recommendations on a course of action. The recommendations from these firms are due in late February / early March.
Whatever decision is made on the scope of the bridge rehabilitation, RIDOT will move quickly to advertise for a design-build contractor, which will provide the detailed information on the timeline to complete the bridge and restore traffic to the bridge. Companies competing for the design-build project will be directed to use accelerated bridge construction methods to reopen the bridge in as short a timeframe as possible.
In the initial week of the bridge closure, RIDOT moved quickly to install bypass lanes on I-195 to allow two lanes in each direction on the eastbound Washington Bridge, which is an entirely different structure from the westbound bridge. While this change helped to ease traffic, there are still considerable delay for motorists, especially during rush hour periods. Any crashes in the work zone can significantly increase the delays drivers experience on a regular basis. As announced on February 21, RIDOT will add a third travel lane for I-195 approach the bridge. Read more here.
RIDOT publishes travel tools on its website – www.washington-bridge.com – to help motorists plan alternate routes as needed. These include Travel Time Charts for nine travel routes, showing the additional time needed to cross the bridge at different hours on different days, compared to early December. RIDOT also has a real-time travel dashboard showing current estimated travel times for I-195 and a number of other travel routes.
RIDOT uses probe data, a measurement that tracks vehicles based on signals transmitted by cell phones. The data is provided to RIDOT as part of a service many other states subscribe to, provided by INRIX. This is same source of data travel apps like Google, Waze and Apple Maps use, as well as GPS companies. These already take travel time into account when display travel times.
The data provides information on the speed of the vehicles carrying those cell phones and the data is computed into travel time and displayed on the travel time dashboard. This data is refreshed every five minutes.
SBA Low interest Economic Injury Disaster Loans are available to eligible businesses in Providence, Kent, and Bristol counties, at interest rates of 4% for businesses and 2.375% for nonprofits. More information is available here: www.commerceri.com/emergency-assistance. Business owners also may choose to visit the Small Business Association’s Washington Bridge Business Recovery Center at East Providence City Hall, 145 Taunton Ave., East Providence.
No, work is continuing on all of RIDOT’s 62 other projects, which are largely on time and on budget. The Department publishes a detailed Quarterly Report on its website with budget and schedule information on all its projects at: www.ridot.net/accountability.
RIDOT continues to host weekly meeting with East Bay legislators to provide updates and answer questions about the Washington Bridge. Legislators have stated they welcome questions from constituents and will discuss them at these weekly meetings.
