The Rhode Island Department of Transportation recently announced demolition of the Providence westbound Washington Bridge, which began in August 2024, finished ahead of schedule earlier this month.
The demolition contract was awarded to Aetna Bridge Company in 2024 and was later expanded to include the removal of the westbound substructure as well. The total price tag for the demolition, which was scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025, came to about $84 million, according to a report from the Rhode Island Current.
Here's a Rhode Island DOT of the demolition:
The westbound Washington Bridge on Interstate 195 was closed in December 2023 due to safety concerns discovered during reconstruction, including deep spall with exposed vertical and horizontal rebar and debounded rebar in several places. At the time, the total cost for a planned reconstruction project was $78 million. In March 2024, it was confirmed the bridge could not be repaired and required replacement.
RIDOT awarded Walsh Construction Company a $427 million contract for building a new Washington Bridge earlier this year, and Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee said the cost of the new bridge, which is planned to last 100 years and designed for easier maintenance and inspection, was within budget.
Walsh Construction’s work began in July 2025 with surveying, material ordering and the mobilization of workers, and the project is forecast to have lanes open by Fall 2028 and be fully finalized in 2029.
Improvements on the new bridge compared to the old bridge include:
- Increasing the number of lanes to five.
- Adding a new on-ramp to I-195 West from Gano Street and a new off-ramp from I-195 West to Waterfront Drive.
- Reconfiguring lanes for I-195 West in East Providence to eliminate westbound traffic delays and adding a travel lane approaching the bridge.
- Widening I-195 from three to four lanes between the Broadway on-ramp and the bridge.
- Replacing the Potter Street overpass.
- Building the bridge on an entirely new substructure.
- Using fewer supporting piers by shortening the bridge’s footprint by over 450 feet.
The bridge, before it was closed over a year ago, was one of the busiest in the state and carried traffic between Providence and East Providence. It opened in 1968 and handled 96,000 vehicles a day.
A lawsuit between the State of Rhode Island and 13 companies that were involved in the Washington Bridge’s design, construction, and inspections was filed in August 2024 and remains ongoing.
