PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Authorities have found a critical structural failure in one of the busiest bridges in Rhode Island and have closed its westbound side to begin a repair job expected to take months.
The Washington Bridge carries Interstate 195 over the Seekonk River from Providence to East Providence and serves as a key gateway to the state’s largest city. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation said Monday evening that a “critical failure of some original 1960s bridge components” was located in the bridge.