PROVIDENCE — In a press conference held mid-day Tuesday, Dec. 12, Gov. Dan McKee made his first public comments since the Rhode Island Department of Transportation announced the temporary closure of the westbound side of the Washington Bridge connecting the East Bay through East Providence via Interstate 195 to Interstate 95.

McKee called the decision he and RIDOT Director Peter Alviti took to immediately shutter the westerly lanes "an extreme event that cannot be avoided, that cannot be predicted," adding later, "It was a situation where there was no choice in the matter."

The governor faced criticism for not joining Alviti at the closure announcement the day prior. Tuesday, he said the response to the situation must be addressed in a "measured way" and needs to be through a "collaborative effort."

McKee said his administration has already sought the assistance of United States Senator Jack Reed and Pete Buttigieg, the United States Secretary of Transportation.

The governor said closing the west side to traffic "avoided a potential catastrophic situation."

He acknowledged there were "pockets of congestion we need to address" around the state, adding, "right bow East Providence is certainly getting the brunt of this detour in traffic."

McKee said, "the goal is to keep residents safe, to work collaboratively to minimize inconvenience on roadways. Also, he said it's also important to "make sure we're really delivering accurate information so (residents) can schedule their family affairs appropriately."

Alviti said the decision was difficult, but said "what was paramount was the safety of the 90,000 people who cross that bridge on a daily basis. He continued, "The one loss we protect against here at DOT is the loss of life."

The director explained there are "eight pins" that crucial to the integrity of the existing structure and "if one is deficient, it can have a compounding affect on the others." He said one of the pins failed since the bridge was last inspected in July of this year.

The "pins" are made of steel and are approximately two inches in diameter by about two feet long.

Going through the timeline of events, Alviti said an engineer initially discovered the deficiency during another routine inspection on Friday, Dec. 8. Over the weekend, he continued, RIDOT staff conducted an "intense investigation." They found other deficiencies happening to other portions of the bridge in a "cascading way." The director received a report midday Monday, Dec. 11, where upon he alerted the governor and the decision to close the westbound side was made.

Alviti said the immediate response is to split the existing four lanes on the eastbound side in half, using two for westbound traffic. It will take about two weeks to get those lanes ready for traffic.

The director also said the intention is to dedicate a lane specifically for only public safety vehicles — rescues, police and fire — actually on the westbound side because the pins there remain in working order.

Alviti estimated it will take approximately three months to repair the existing westbound side for use as the new bridge continues to be constructed.

In the meantime, the director said RIDOT, the State Police as well as municipal law enforcement agencies on traffic amelioration procedures, including coordination of traffic signals, new and updated signage and an increase in patrols of heavily driven locations in the vicinity of the bridge.

He concluded his remarks by saying unlike in other areas of the country where deteriorating bridges have collapsed, "We averted a major catastrophe here."