Providence seeks truck ban amid I-195 bridge closure
PROVIDENCE — With the Washington Bridge closure on Interstate 195 now expected to last years, Providence leaders want to ban heavy trucks on certain East Side roads that are part of the detour route.
An ordinance proposed by Councilman John Goncalves and backed by Mayor Brett Smiley would ban large trucks that weigh more than 25 tons from driving on parts of Angell Street, Waterman Street, and Gano Street.
Trucks with loads weighing more than 30,000 pounds would also be banned from all city bridges, according to the proposed ordinance.
Goncalves told the Globe that provision would only apply to city-owned bridges, not the state-owned Henderson Bridge, which has been used as an alternate route for drivers to get to Providence from the East Bay during the highway bridge closure.
The proposal was introduced at Thursday night’s City Council meeting, where it passed for the first time in a vote of 11-0, with 2 abstentions. Ordinances must pass twice and be signed by the mayor before becoming law.
Certain trucks would be exempt from the weight limit, including those making local deliveries, garbage trucks, emergency vehicles, and snow plows.
Goncalves said the proposed ordinance “will help prevent more damage to our local roads and bridges, make sure they last longer, make our streets safer for everyone, and improve quality of life for our residents.”
Smiley has been calling on truck drivers not to detour through Providence because of the Washington Bridge closure, asserting that local roads are not built to handle the weight of tractor-trailers hauling loads on interstate highways.
Gano Street was briefly closed last month to make “critical repairs.” Smiley attributed the damage to the detour from the Washington Bridge.