The Rhode Island Department of Transportation will open a third eastbound lane this week on the Washington Bridge, according to NBC affiliate WJAR.
Drivers will have access to the three lanes starting Wednesday morning, WJAR reported, citing the Department of Transportation.
The highway will be restriped Tuesday night and overnight and changes will start Wednesday, the DOT said.
Due to the third lane, drivers entering the highway from South Water and India streets will have to merge to the right travel lane, which could cause delays, the DOT said.
The lanes will be reduced in width, WJAR reported. Trucks will have to stay on the far-right lane of the highway, which is 11 feet wide.
The speed limit will also be lowered to 40 miles per hour.
This comes after Gov. Dan McKee said in February new lanes were going to be added to improve traffic patterns on the troubled Washington Bridge.
The westbound side of the bridge was shut down on Dec. 11 because of a "critical failure of some bridge components."
Last month, McKee announced that the westbound span of the bridge must be replaced.
The Washington Bridge carries Interstate 195 over the Seekonk River from Providence to East Providence and serves as a key gateway to Rhode Island's largest city. It carries close to 100,000 vehicles every day.
