Adapted from Robert Whitcomb’s “Digital Diary,’’ in GoLocal24.com

The economic and psychological damage from the ongoing Washington Bridge repair job will, it seems, last for months. I had thought that perhaps the traffic mess would have been smoothed out a lot within a few days. But on Dec. 20, in clear weather and not during commuting hours -- we saw a traffic jam extended for miles on Route 195 West as we headed on the highway’s eastbound side, which we got  to via a confusing and circuitous route in always-problematical East Providence. Clearer signage, please! We were bogged down for quite a while on Broadway in that speed-trap-rich city,  with its ingeniously confusing signs. Pretty tough to speed there now, not that you should!

So we decided to return  to Providence from  our meeting in Dartmouth, Mass., via 195 West and then 24 North to 495 North from which we got on 95 South. The trip took a little over an hour and a half. The detour was well worth it. Drivers should avoid 195 anywhere near Providence, especially those with heart or other serious health issues. You’d find it hard to be rescued in a miles-long traffic jam. And you might run out of gas