‘Critical failure’ prompts partial closure of Washington Bridge in Providence

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation announced an emergency closure of the Washington Bridge on Monday, a busy artery in the Providence area.

The bridge connects East Providence to Providence via I-195, over the Seekonk River. Transportation officials said Monday that they closed all the westbound lanes after they found a “critical failure of some bridge components.”

Traffic will be diverted to alternate routes for the first phase of the repairs, which could take two to three weeks. The plan is to establish a pattern that will divert traffic to two of the lanes on the eastbound side. To accomplish this, two lanes on I-195 eastbound will close at Exit 1A starting Tuesday at 9 a.m.

Once traffic is flowing on the eastbound side, permanent repair work can begin on the westbound lanes.

The repairs could take several months, the agency warned, depending on what’s found when the work actually begins.

The current detour is as follows:

Local traffic in East Providence should take Exit 2 to Broadway, then follow detour signs to the Henderson Bridge and reconnect with I-195 at Gano Street.

Drivers should expect delays during the work.