EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is slated to begin demolishing the deck of the old Washington Bridge this weekend.

The demolition is officially scheduled to start Sunday at 9 p.m. and will require the closure of Gano Street where it passes under I-195.

Gano Street will be closed Sunday through Thursday nights only from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. for the next two to three weeks, according to RIDOT. Workers will be tearing down the overhead bridge parapets and concrete deck throughout the closures.

There will also be a weekend-long closure of Gano Street under the bridge later this fall to remove the beams, but a date for that has not been set.

Throughout the closures, drivers will be detoured down India and Wickenden streets, as well as South Main and South Water streets. The on-ramp to I-195 West at Gano Street will remain open.

RIDOT is also slated to begin demolition on the East Providence side of the bridge next week. No traffic impacts are expected next week, however, there will be a one-week closure of Waterfront Drive later this month.

The bypass lanes on I-195 West, closest to the old bridge, won’t be impacted by the demolition, though drivers should still expect delays.

RIDOT expects the old bridge to be substantially demolished by the end of January 2025.

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