The eastbound side of the Washington Bridge will be split into six lanes, three going in each direction, as a means of attempting to address the ongoing crisis created with the closure of the westbound side.

That's the plan state officials laid out during a State House press conference held Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 21.

Two of the lanes going either way will be approximately 10 feet wide, with one designated larger, 11-foot lane for public safety and commercial vehicles on the far right side in each direction.

The existing lanes will be condensed from 12 or 11 feet down to the aforementioned widths, and a 40 mile an hour speed limit will be implemented on the bridge. The work will be done off peak driving hours, mostly at night.

Gov. Dan McKee, who noted he received public pushback for seemingly downplaying the time motorists have spent struck on I-195, said this latest effort an attempt to alleviate the congestion the December 11, 2023 shuttering of the west side created.

"The priority is fixing the bridge and doing it in the right way .. .And we're going to keep people safe while doing it," McKee said. "We know it's a significant disruption, and we're going to continue to work to address that."

Rhode Island Department of Transportation Executive Director Peter Alviti said it is likely to take approximately eight weeks to fully implement the proposed changes.

Alviti said the plan has been approved by the Federal Highway Administration, which took on a meaningful role in the bridge crisis two weeks ago, and was backed by the state's Congressional delegations.

He did say the timeframe came with a "proviso," three things that could impact construction:

• Supply change issues, which could delay procurement of the necessary barriers and signage.

• The weather, which could slow or delay work at any time.

• And the temperature; because the plan calls for the complete re-striping of the eastbound side, the paint used is subject to being installed under specific conditions.

Alviti noted the work addressing traffic is being done "in parallel with reconstruction efforts" to put "a new and improved" westbound bridge back in place.

"We see this as a very positive step forward," Alviti added. "We're doing this as part of our ongoing effort to make things better for the people who are realizing time delays and constraints on their travel. We're truing to make that easier and we have 100 percent of our focus on that."

Asked about to impact to travel times, the director said there are many factors, like time of day, weather conditions, accidents, so it will vary.

Alviti continued, "We do know that there will be an overall savings in both directions and that is what this aimed for."

Asked about the impact of breakdowns or accidents, Alviti said State Police cruisers and tow trucks will be stationed various locations on or near the bridge "to very quickly remove vehicles off the highway into safe zones."

Alviti was also questioned if the state would meet a previously talked about deadline to receive updated engineering reports on the condition of the existing 56-year-old westbound side.

The director said the aim remains for the state to take receipt of the reports in late February or early March then conduct a review and make a decision  about what to do next with the dilapidated structure. He told the media and the public, "You will be the first to know," when the information is received.