Washington Bridge Replacement — I-195 Westbound over the Seekonk River

Rhode Island’s most notorious piece of infrastructure is finally getting a foundation. Walsh Construction moved into the water this summer on the Washington Bridge replacement, starting the first of 32 drilled shafts that reach about 130 feet down to bedrock beneath the Seekonk River.

Project Scope

The $339 million design-build contract, awarded to a Walsh Construction and WSP USA team, replaces the westbound I-195 span between Providence and East Providence. Total project budget runs to roughly $427.9 million once incentives and contingencies are counted. The new bridge carries five travel lanes instead of four, and adds a Gano Street on-ramp and a Waterfront Drive off-ramp.

The 32 shafts support the piers and abutments. Crews established construction platforms in the river earlier in 2026 after finishing design, permitting, site surveys and equipment mobilization. Rather than conventional pile driving, the team is using vibratory hammers with continuous noise and vibration monitoring — a concession to the dense residential neighborhoods on both banks. Structural steel for the superstructure is already in fabrication in Wisconsin, with deliveries expected later this year.

RIDOT wrote the schedule with teeth: a $10 million bonus for early completion and a $25,000 daily penalty for missed milestones. Traffic lanes are scheduled to open November 3, 2028. The structure is designed for a 100-year service life, with inspection and maintenance access built in rather than added later.

Why It Matters

The abrupt December 2023 closure of the westbound Washington Bridge dumped tens of thousands of daily vehicles onto detours and became a statewide political event. Getting steel in the water is the first visible proof that the rebuild is real rather than procedural.

“Right now, across the country, communities are replacing and modernizing aging infrastructure that was built generations ago to meet the evolving traffic and commerce needs of future generations,” said Chuck Parish, vice president of New England transportation and water at Walsh Construction. The milestone, he said, “marks a meaningful step forward for Rhode Island and for everyone who relies on this corridor.”

Funding combines a USDOT MEGA grant with state money, making it one of the largest infrastructure investments in Rhode Island history.

Project Team & Details