The Rhode Island Department of Transportation late last week announced its latest attempt to alleviate the traffic jam on Interstate 195 created by its shuttering of the westbound side of the Washington Bridge nearly two months now.

According to the agency, over the next several months while officials figure out what to do with the decrepit, deficient 56-year-old span , RIDOT will be testing new traffic patterns with the goal of alleviating some of the congestion leading up to and on the Washington Bridge. These new patterns will be based on traffic modeling by RIDOT engineers.

RIDOT announced in a press release earlier the same day that starting at 10 p.m. on Friday night, February 2, the number of lanes on I-195 West will be reduced from three lanes to two lanes, starting east of the East Shore Expressway entrance to I-195 West in East Providence. The aim, the agency claimed, is to expedite travel for those entering I-195 West from the East Shore Expressway, Pawtucket Avenue and Broadway.

Officials stated a model of the traffic pattern appears to show that creating a merge east of the East Shore Expressway travel time should be reduced. The hope is the pattern will allow those using the East Shore Expressway, Pawtucket Avenue and Broadway ramps to merge more easily.

RIDOT said the approach is how other traffic pattern shifts are implemented and examined. It will test the new pattern on Friday night, monitor its impact closely throughout the weekend and the beginning of the work week, Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 5 and 6.

At the end of the test, RIDOT engineers will decide whether to keep the pattern in place or reverse it based on its effectiveness. RIDOT will use barrels to mark the new pattern to allow for any necessary changes or reversal to be made swiftly.