Washington Bridge in Rhode Island Undergoes Emergency Repairs

It started off as an expansion project to expand the Washington Bridge in Providence, Rhode Island on the I-95. While the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) hoped to keep the bridge fully open during the construction project, an unfortunate discovery is going to cause traffic to approach a standstill.

Details

While hammering at reconstruction on the Washington Bridge that would create a new exit and a new westbound lane, workers found what has only been defined as a “critical failure” from parts of the bridge that date back to 1968. The news is similar to a previous story we reported on, a bridge along the I-40 with a full crack in a steel beam.

During the repairs, RIDOT is limiting the capacity allowed to cross the bridge into one lane each way, both of which will now take place on the eastbound side. Considering the Washington Bridge carries 96,000 different vehicles across the Seekonk River every day on what is normally ten lanes, the traffic is going to get significantly worse before it gets any better.

Conclusion

With the Washington Bridge being a major thoroughfare to cross the Seekonk River, drivers are left with few alternatives. RIDOT says that a trucker’s best bet to mitigate traffic without going too far from the beaten path is to take Massachusetts Exit 1 and follow Route 114A until you hit either Route 114 or Route 1A, both of which connect to the I-95 again. The folks at RIDOT have a list of available detours for both trucks and standard vehicles alike on the relevant webpage.

Currently there is no set timeline for when the Washington Bridge will be able to return to normal capacity, though the original timeline for the expansion project was 2026 and will likely have to be pushed back to 2027 as a result of this emergency infrastructure repair. Still, it is ultimately better than the alternative, where hundreds of vehicles could instead be found at the bottom of the Seekonk River. We hope the repair will be as quick as with what happened with another I-95 bridge in Philadelphia earlier this year.

ABOUT TOPMARK FUNDING

TopMark Funding is a top-rated semi-truck financing and trailer financing company located in Roseville, CA. We specialize in commercial trucking and heavy equipment. Our mission is to become your long-term financial partner by helping you grow your trucking business and fleet.

We’re not here for the short-term, we’re on the long-haul with you!

We have financing options for trailers, semi-trucks, commercial trucks, and small businesses. We have great rates, low down payments, and flexible monthly payments regardless of credit history.

Learn more about Trailer Financing.

Fill out the contact form or give us a call at (866) 627-6644. One of our truck financing specialists will contact you as soon as possible to go over your truck lease needs and learn more about you and your business financing goals.