Rhode Island Advances Washington Bridge Project After Decade of Repairs

The replacement of Rhode Island’s Washington Bridge will include revived plans to remake the span with five lanes, a new off ramp to Waterfront Drive in East Providence and a new on ramp from Gano Street.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Gov. Dan McKee and state Transportation Director Peter Alviti announced the posting of an initial request-for-proposals from two finalists for the new bridge construction contract.

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation’s plan for the bridge included expanding the bridge from four to five lanes with dedicated entry and exit lanes, as well as adding two new on-and-off ramps to the contract.

Work on the structure was started under former Gov. Gina Raimondo’s administration.

Rhode Island has been repairing the westbound Washington Bridge intermittently for over a decade. In 2021, work started on a $78 million project that combined shoring up the structure with adding a fifth travel lane and new ramps on both sides of the river.

The ramps were under construction when workers found severe damage to parts of the structure and ordered the bridge to be shut down.

The cost of the project remains unknown.

Source: ABC 6, Providence Journal