Temporary westbound lanes on Washington Bridge bring some relief. What to know.

PROVIDENCE - A work week that began with a commuter calamity following the emergency closure of the westbound span of the Washington Bridge, ended Friday with a temporary fix in place allowing two-way traffic to slip across the eastbound span – and with local officials breathing easier.

“I’m here to report that the city of East Providence is open for business,” East Providence Mayor Roberto L. DaSilva, told reporters at midday. “The traffic condition in East Providence is remarkable in light of what we’ve had to deal with over the last three days. There is not one traffic hiccup at all throughout the city."

Bypass lanes open early Friday for westbound traffic

The state Department of Transportation opened the two bypass lanes on Interstate 195 in the early hours of Friday, and by the morning commute the work had already mitigated the nightmarish traffic through East Providence and the detours leading over the Seekonk River into Providence.

DOT Director Peter Alviti Jr. said allowing those two lanes to share the eastbound bridge span “had an immediate impact” to the point where traffic over the bridge was “better than before” the crisis began.

Part of that improvement, however, he said, also had to do with drivers still taking detours, closed schools and that many motorists chose to work remotely rather than endure hours in traffic.

He expected bridge traffic volume would increase next week when more commuters resume their normal drive.

Westbound closure of Washington Bridge caused traffic chaos

Transportation officials abruptly closed the westbound span Monday afternoon after a weekend of consultations following an engineer’s troubling discovery last Friday: critical steel “pins” which help keep the span in place had severed, raising the possibility that the span could collapse.

The sudden closure paralyzed parts of East Providence on Tuesday, canceled in-person school on Wednesday and caused many people to avoid traveling.

Small businesses have worried the bridge closure will cause economic hardship during their most important time of the year; DaSilva said his city already had about 175 small businesses report the bridge closure had hurt their business.

And permanent repairs on the damaged span of the bridge are likely still months away.

Ferry service coming to help

The DOT's Alviti said the state is still planning to offer free ferry service starting next week between Bristol and Providence, with three ferries now pressed into service with a total capacity to move 1,100 passengers an hour.

Shuttle service at Colt State Park, in Bristol, and at India Point, in Providence, will take riders to public transportation centers like Kennedy Plaza or the train station.

The ferry service was scheduled to begin Monday but anticipated heavy seas and high winds will delay the start by a day or so, he said.

SBA making economic injury disaster loans available

As bridge workers continue on with a more permanent repair, which could take three months, Gov. Dan McKee reemphasized the need to help out small businesses in the impacted area.

He said the U.S. Small Business Administration had approved making economic injury disaster loans available for Rhode Island businesses.

The loans of up to $2 million come with interest rates between 3% and 4%. Businesses that have lost customers because of the bridge closure can visit the Commerce Corporation website or call (401) 521-HELP.

“The economy is a real important piece,” the governor said, as he urged all Rhode Islanders to patronize small business and keep those restaurant reservations. Offering a more generous tip through the holiday season would also help make up for lost revenue, he said.

He also suggested motorists passing over the Washington Bridge – which normally carries some 96,000 vehicles daily – offer the construction workers who scrambled to quickly open the bypasses a thumbs-up or a toot of appreciation.

“We are so pleased we’ve been able to navigate through this emergency,” McKee said.

The 1960s-era bridge pins – which Alviti has said likely all failed suddenly like falling dominoes from an unknown “violent” event – were scheduled to be repaired or replaced as part of future bridge work.

Asked if ongoing bridge construction work might have contributed to their sudden failure, Alviti said “We don’t have reason to believe ... construction impacted them” but a future investigation will consider all possibilities.

EZ pass transponder fee waived to help travel over Newport bridge

Lori Caron Silveira, executive director of the Rhode Island Turnpike Authority, said the agency was surprised this week by the volume of East Bay motorists who had opted to travel over the Claiborne Pell Bridge as a detour.

With those motorists in mind, the authority is temporarily waiving the usual $10 fee to obtain an EZ pass transponder. The transponder reduces the cost of going over the Pell Bridge to 83 cents, as opposed to $6.

RIDOT will reopen most on-ramps that had been closed earlier this week, according to a news release. It will also maintain a lane on the westbound bridge for emergency vehicles only.

Contact Tom Mooney at: tmooney@providencejournal.com

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Washington Bridge I-195 closure Friday update: Temporary west lanes open