Third westbound lane over Washington Bridge to open 5 days early
PROVIDENCE – An additional lane on Interstate 195 westbound over the Washington Bridge will open Friday, earlier than expected, according to a report on WPRO-AM.
The added lane, increasing westbound traffic from two lanes to three, had been scheduled for early next week.
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.
More: A report warned the state about the Washington Bridge in 2015. Why was nothing done?
Third eastbound lane added April 10. What's the difference in commute time?
The eastbound traffic got its third lane on April 10.
According to the state's traffic time tracker, so far there has been little difference in commute times from the airport connector to the state line via the Washington Bridge since the addition of the third lane.
When comparing traffic from the last week (Sunday through Wednesday) before the third lane was added to the traffic a few days after the lane opened, there was a slight reduction in morning commute times.
At 8 a.m., the commute time was 12 minutes with three lanes, compared with 14 to 15 minutes with two lanes. In the afternoon, the commute times were nearly the same – 20 to 25 minutes.
The Providence Journal used data from the first week of April, as the third lane was added in the second week.
How big are vehicles in comparison to the lane size?
Federal regulations set freeway lane width, when not over bridges, at 12 feet.
Perhaps the best comparison for the new drive are 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 8.5 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.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI DOT opening third westbound lane on Washington Bridge early
