More than 2,600 overweight trucks have crossed the eastbound Washington Bridge over the past seven weeks, according to newly released data from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT).
The data comes from RIDOT’s newly installed weigh-in-motion system, part of a larger technical package designed to monitor the structural health of the highway over the Seekonk River. RIDOT plans to update the online dashboard on truck weights every Wednesday.
The state paid $2.8 million last May to Swiss-based technology company Kistler to install sensors meant to monitor traffic volumes, vehicle weights and axle loads, vehicle distances, and vehicle classes that cross the bridge.
The eastbound bridge has a weight limit of 80,000 pounds, but vehicles weighing up to 96,000 pounds can cross if they are given a permit. Trucks weighing 140,000 pounds or more will trigger a visual inspection by crews to assess any potential impacts to the highway connecting East Providence to Providence.
The heaviest vehicle to cross the eastbound bridge since the new monitors were installed weighed 135,225 pounds on Jan. 15, according to RIDOT’s data. Feb. 7 saw the highest number of overweight trucks, with 170 crossing in both directions.
RIDOT plans to close portions of Waterfront Drive in East Providence on March 17 and 18 in order to install sensors for the structural health monitoring system.
The eastbound span, constructed in 2008, was converted to take on traffic heading west days after the state closed the westbound side of the bridge in December 2023 upon the discovery of broken anchor rods that put it at risk of collapse.
“Safety is RIDOT’s highest priority,” RIDOT Director Peter Alviti, Jr. said in a statement. “As part of our comprehensive efforts for maintenance and inspection of the eastbound bridge, we installed this state-of-the-art system which will allow RIDOT to have its finger on the pulse of the bridge in real-time, every day, around the clock.”
RIDOT’s new data comes as contractors begin to tear down the substructure of the westbound bridge, which is expected to wrap up by the end of the year. The state plans to award the contract to rebuild the westbound bridge by June 6, 2025.
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
