Three tight lanes open heading east on Washington Bridge - and yes, your car will fit
Third lane opening for westbound traffic set for April 22
Wheeler CowperthwaitePROVIDENCE − Drivers headed east over the Washington Bridge, starting Wednesday morning, can expect three lanes of travel, as crews will restripe the eastbound portion of the highway on Tuesday night.
The new lanes will be skinny – the left two lanes 10 feet each and the right lane is 11 feet wide. They are replacing two 12-foot-wide lanes.
Westbound traffic still two lanes for now
While traffic headed east from Providence over the bridge will have three lanes, westbound traffic will still have two lanes. Crews have shifted the "crossover" point for westbound traffic a half-mile closer to the bridge to give work crews space to prepare for the move to three lanes, Department of Transportation Spokesman Charles St. Martin wrote in a news release.
The move to three lanes for westbound traffic is set for April 22. Among those changes set to happen for the shift on April 22 includes a new median barrier.
The two westbound lanes are currently 11 feet wide each.
South Water, India Street merging traffic pattern changed
Traffic getting onto the highway from South Water and India streets will be forced to merge into the right lane when they enter the highway.
"This may cause delays for motorists using this ramp to enter onto I-195 East during rush hour," St. Martin wrote.
What will the new lanes be like?
The two left lanes will be 10 feet wide each, while the right lane will be 11 feet wide. Trucks are supposed to stay in the larger 11-foot lane.
The speed limit will be 40 mph.
How big are vehicles in comparison to the lane size?
Federal regulations set freeway lane widths, when not over bridges, at 12 feet wide.
Perhaps the best comparison for the new drive is the Sagamore Bridge and the Bourne Bridge, which connect Cape Cod to the mainland. The four lanes on both of those bridges are only 10 feet wide.
It may feel tight, but here are the widths of most common vehicles:
- A standard semi-trailer is 8 1/2-feet wide.
- A Ford F-450 is 8 feet wide. One of the biggest trucks on the road it has dual rear wheels, also known as a dualie.
- A Ford F-150 is a little over 7 feet wide.
- A Toyota Tacoma (2024) is 6.4 feet wide.
- The Toyota Sienna minivan is 6.6 feet wide.
- A Toyota Camry is 6 feet wide.
- A Volkswagen Golf is 5.8 feet wide.
- A 2017 Smart car is 5.4 feet wide. They were last sold in the United States in 2019.
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Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite at wcowperthwaite@providencejournal.com or follow him on Twitter @WheelerReporter.