Washington Bridge Live Cams
Exit 2B (Route 114)
Washington Bridge
Exit 1D (Gano Street)
Starting on Friday night, November 6 at 10 p.m., the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is scheduled to close I-195 in both directions near the Taunton Avenue exit in East Providence. The closure is necessary for the safe demolition of the Potter Street Bridge as part of the Washington Bridge rebuild project.
The full closure is expected to last approximately 12 hours, with some lanes reopening by 10 a.m. on Saturday, November 7 and all lanes reopening by noon. Drivers are strongly advised to seek alternate routes and avoid traveling along I-195 during these times. Local detours will be provided as shown in the map above, but significant delays are likely.
The closure is necessary to expedite the demolition and limit the overall impact on interstate traffic and the local community. The design of the Potter Street Bridge is such that phased demolition would require the installation of bracing supports and various lane closures which would impact traffic over a much longer period of time than this single closure event.
The Potter Street Bridge will be rebuilt over the next 12–18 months to accommodate a wider highway corridor with additional travel lanes on I-195 West. Once complete, the project will provide four continuous westbound travel lanes between the Broadway interchange and the Washington Bridge, along with a fifth lane leading to a new off-ramp at Waterfront Drive. These improvements are expected to help alleviate longstanding congestion on I-195 West, which has historically caused traffic to back up toward the Massachusetts state line.
Construction of the new westbound side of the Washington Bridge is underway. As of fall 2026, the contractor was busy constructing the foundation of the bridge and having structural steel fabricated in off-site plants. The project remains on target for opening the bridge to traffic in November 2028.
The efficient design of the new bridge shortens the length of the bridge by 459 feet by reducing the number of supporting piers. The bridge will be brand new from the substructure to the bridge deck and will have a 100-year life to support the 80,000 vehicles that use it daily.
Traffic mitigation measures includes addressing the historical backup in commuter traffic coming west on the bridge from the Massachusetts state line. There will be five through lanes over the new bridge in addition to a new on-ramp to I-195 west from Gano Street and an off-ramp from I-195 west to Waterfront Drive. There also is widening of the highway planned in East Providence to help alleviate longstanding congestion issues on I-195 West, often resulting in traffic backed up to the Massachusetts border.
The project is fully funded using in part $221 in competitive federal grants and GARVEE bonds. The full cost of the new construction is $427.9 million.
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.
Weigh-in-motion and structural health monitoring data for the eastbound Washington Bridge will be posted weekly. This technology provides real-time information on overweight trucks crossing the bridge and stresses and strains on the structure from the passage of these vehicles.
In accordance with legislation passed into law on May 7, 2024, RIDOT submits monthly Washington Bridge Snapshot Reports. Reports will be posted here on or before the first of each month.
Below are links to inspection documents and accompanying photos from 2015 to present day for both the old westbound bridge and current eastbound bridge.
Click the links below for Washington Bridge-related press releases.
