Work continued on the closed westbound side of the Washington Bridge last week through the poor the weather conditions.

Photo courtesy RIDOT

Gov. Dan McKee and Rhode Island Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti gave an impromptu update on the status of the Washington Bridge during a news conference called Monday afternoon, Jan. 22, where they mentioned there remains a chance the closed westbound side of the dilapidated structure would have to be completely replaced.

In his opening remarks, Alviti, appearing to be responding to recent social media speculation about the potential for tearing down entirely the westbound side, said the state is likely facing three scenarios: extensive repair of the existing structure; reconstruction of some key components; or the aforementioned complete rebuild of the entire westerly portion of the bridge.

"We need to get all of the facts...We need to have all of engineering facts in place before we determine the final course of action on this. We're in that evaluation process," Alviti said.

He said RIDOT engineers have been conducting a lengthy inspection of the 55-year-old structure since the westbound side of the span was shuttered immediately upon the finding of deficient pins in the substructure on Monday afternoon, Dec. 11, 2023.

Alviti said he expects to have answers from consultants in the "near-term," adding, "We need them to do a very thorough, comprehensive and expert inspection of the bridge."

He continued saying he was "not going to speculate on the scope of the additional deficiencies until we have the full report."

Alviti added, "I assure you of this whatever the scope of the work we will accelerated and phased construction will be used to get lanes open as quickly as possible."

The "scope" includes any changes to the proposed initial three-month timeline to repair the existing structure or additional costs associated with future needs of the project.

With that in mind, the director noted on-going efforts like the construction of the new on-ramp at Waterfront Drive in East Providence will remain active.

Alviti said the aim is to keep those crews on their current jobs, saying further, "Regardless of work need to do on rest of the structure, those aspects are going to be useful and useable."

The director noted the inspections of the Washington Bridge are part of a wider effort being done throughout the state. So far, at least, he said none contain the critical elements the Washington Bridge."

Alviti noted whatever is deemed necessary to refurbish the bridge, RIDOT will employ rapid bridge construction aspects, like those implemented during the renovation of the East Shore Expressway in city.

He added, "We're preparing for all the contingencies, but we are giving (Washington Bridge situation) priority of all the other ongoing projects."

Friday release

As part of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation's ongoing immediate repairs to the closed westbound portion of the Washington Bridge, work continues on what it calls "enhancing the pier walls that support the anchor rods that caused the sudden closure now six weeks ago."

In a press release update issued by RIDOT on Friday, Jan. 19, the organization also said work remains on the removal of the concrete arches, bridge deck and parapets. Earthwork as well as the installation of drainage and sewer lines at the Waterfront Drive on-ramp to Interstate 195 West is also scheduled. RIDOT engineers are also continuing their evaluation of the bridge’s condition overall.

Additionally, RIDOT traffic engineers have updated the traffic signal times at Point Street and Eddy Street and Point Street and Richmond Street in another effort to alleviate snarls at various locations in both East Providence and Providence.

The signals are now running in coordination, which should help ease congestion on these streets during rush hour.

RIDOT also noted Friday, Jan. 19, was the last day of service on the Bristol to Providence Ferry. The service was initiated upon the onset of the closure in mid-December, but did not really have the desired affect on I-195 traffic patterns, so it was scrapped at the first opportunity per the contracts RIDOT signed with the ferry operators.

Legislative letter

The January 19 update on the bridge crisis was the first issued in 10 days and came two days after the East Bay delegation at the General Assembly issued a somewhat terse letter to RIDOT Director Peter Alviti seeking more frequent reports on the progress of the project.

The letter was signed by a host of local legislators including those representing East Providence: House Majority Whip Katherine S. Kazarian (D-Dist. 63, East Providence, Pawtucket), Senate Majority Whip Valarie J. Lawson (D-Dist. 14, East Providence), Reps. Matthew S. Dawson (D-Dist. 65, East Providence) and Jennifer Boylan (D-Dist. 66, Barrington, East Providence), Sens. Pamela J. Lauria (D-Dist. 32, Barrington, Bristol, East Providence) and Robert Britto (D-Dist. 18, East Providence, Pawtucket).

(Updated, Jan. 25, 1 p.m.) Other area legislators to sign onto the letter included: Reps. Jason Knight (D-Dist. 67, Barrington, Warren), June S. Speakman (D-Dist. 68, Warren, Bristol) and Susan R. Donovan (D-Dist. 69, Bristol, Portsmouth) and Sens. Walter S. Felag (D-Dist. 10, Warren, Bristol, Tiverton) and Linda L. Ujifusa (D-Dist. 11, Portsmouth, Bristol).

The legislators wrote, “We write to you in order to request regular comprehensive updates on the 1-195 Bridge repair construction.

"As you know, the closure of the 1-195 Westbound bridge on December 11 caused a sudden and severe hardship on our communities. While it has been helpful to have the two westbound lanes reopened on the highway, the traffic issues that this closure has created in our districts continue to be unbearable.

"Our constituents are still faced with unexpected road closures, unyielding traffic jams, and unpredictable travel times. Even worse, we do not have answers to give our residents about the current bridge construction process or an idea for when we can expect the 1-195 Westbound bridge to be reopened.

"We are requesting that RIDOT regularly send us detailed updates on the construction and repair of the I-195 Westbound Bridge and updates on your expected timeline for when the bridge will be fully operational. Opening the 1-195 bridge and unburdening our communities from these issues are our priority and focus.

"We look forward to receiving these regular reports regarding the construction and reopening of the bridge soon."

Henderson Bridge notes

Meanwhile, the $84.4 million Henderson Bridge project connecting East Providence with the East Side of Providence over the Seekonk River continues to move along at a steady pace, contractors having completed the new span and now in the process of removing the old structure.

No lane closures are anticipated as the demolition of the existing super and sub structures at the bridge continues this week. Also, the Henderson Expressway Connector from Massasoit Avenue build continues while the splicing fiber optic communication lines starts.