Rather than having the end of the beam sit on the pier like most beam bridges do, called simply supported, the primary beams in the Washington Bridge were supported at their center, cantilevering out in both directions. In December 2023, the now 57-year-old westbound bridge was in the middle of a 64-million-dollar construction project to repair damaged concrete, widen the deck for another lane of traffic, and add a new off-ramp, with the goal of extending the bridge’s life by 25 years. It’s an embarrassment for the state, a nightmare for the engineers and contractors who have worked on the bridge in the past, and a major problem for all the residents of Rhode Island who depend on this bridge.