Lori Caron Silveira, Executive Director and Eric Seabury, Director of Engineering for the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority (RITBA) spoke at the Bosworth Lecture Series on Thursday, Oct. 15 in the Herreshoff Room at the Rogers Free Library. The pair presented a talk on the many complexities involved in maintaining and extending the life of the Mt. Hope Bridge.

They opened with a brief history of the bridge, and covered the ongoing cable dehumidification project, the timeline and progress thus far. They also discussed the upcoming deck replacement project, long-term maintenance goals, the inspection report, and the biennial inspection program.

The crowd reached the 66-person capacity of the room before the 6:30 p.m. start, turning many people away at the door.

Predictably, impressions were mixed.

‘I feel good about it’
“I thought the presentation was superb,” said Linda Arruda, who as a teacher in Dartmouth, Mass. vividly recalls the inconvenience of the 1986 shutdown for deck replacement. “The director is the real deal. The PowerPoint was outstanding.”

“There have been so many advances, and the engineer was spot on. He knows what he’s doing. I was impressed.”

Arruda admits she didn’t know much about RITBA leadership going in to the event. “I went in with a pretty open mind,” she said. “I survived 1986.”

Arruda said there were not many questions following the presentation, but recalls a notable one, a man asking why RITBA withheld the most recent inspection report. “The director said that you have to understand there are security measures for every bridge in the U.S. She was very clear that she was adhering to government guidelines. I thought how they handle this question is how how competent they are, and I think they handled it beautifully.

“I feel good about it, based on everything they presented.”

A ‘shady history’
Keith Duncan has a very interesting perspective — as a former RITBA employee in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, he worked on the last cable dehumidification project, which he says used dramatically different methods.

“There were only two of us,” he said. “We straddled the cables, put in spacers between the cables and poured oil in there…it’s very intensive much more elaborate these days.”

Duncan does have some reservations about the fact that the inspection report was withheld for so long. “I’m pleased to know it’s being looked after, but RITBA doesn’t have a lot of credence when they say ‘just trust us’. The fact that they withheld the inspection…the reason seemed valid, but I’m not sure that people bought it.

“I’m very happy that they’re doing what we can, but can we trust it?”

He was particularly concerned with some of the photos in the report. “The photos are embarrassing. The catwalks underneath the bridge are so corroded, the workers can’t use it. They didn’t answer well why the servicing didn’t hold up.

“We want to trust you,” he said “You are nice to come out…but RITBA has a shady history.”

Not worried at all
“I wasn’t worried at all about the condition of the bridge. I’m more worried about how that they would be treated because of the animosity around town,” said James Ricci, author of The Newport Bridge. “I was worried it would be a shouting match, but the audience was respectful, attentive, and interested.

“I’ve been studying long-span suspension bridges for a long time. My belief is that we are lucky to have them, culturally, aesthetically, and in terms of their ability to perform.”

He noted that the Mt. Hope Bridge was designed by David Steinman, the world’s foremost bridge designer and engineer who designed 400 bridges including Michigan’s Mackinac bridge, the longest in the western hemisphere. He was also credited with the renovation of the Brooklyn Bridge and notably sounded the alarm about the Seattle-Tacoma bridge, whose filmed failure is the stuff of nightmares.

“Suspension bridges should last if maintained properly and what RITBA does is maintain those bridges. That’s what this organization has done.”

He found the presentation well organized, and the report on the current dehumidification project to be thorough. He also noted that RITBA swaps vendors with every 2-year inspections so no company performs consecutive inspections.

He did say that the traffic delays are a real problem. “They admitted they didn’t have all the answers but the dehumidification takes a lane and it is necessary.

“I don’t think people should let RITBA be tainted by RIDOT’s failures.”

‘Trust Us’ approach fails transparency test
Representing members of the Mount Hope Bridge Watch Group (MHBWG), Steve Ruggieri provided a statement on behalf of the group laying out their chief concerns.

“While the presentation and outreach on the Mount Hope Bridge by RITBA was appreciated, several key questions remain as important issues were not addressed,” he wrote.

“No results or insights on the critical ongoing main cable condition inspection were provided, despite this being a vital safety inspection.

“When asked about access to the cable inspection data, mention was made of a FOIA request to gain access....this should not be necessary as this is a public safety issue and shouldn't need a FOIA request or another federal lawsuit to request safety data that is being inappropriately withheld as was the November 2024 inspection.

“The progress report on priority repair items from the November 2024 inspection report was disappointing with many items still in "design stage"....this inspection is now approaching two years old and corrosion continues.

“RITBA stated the bridge life could be extended by 50 to 75 years with the cable dehumidification project but offered no objective evidence on where the "professional assessment" came from. An independent engineering analysis reviewing repair vs. replacement options like the one that was done for the Cape Cod bridges is needed.

“Despite claims of transparency, it still appears that RITBA is operating under the approach of "Trust Us" when dealing with the public.”