State officials said Monday the eastbound Washington Bridge has not experienced any significant deterioration despite carrying twice the normal traffic since it was pressed into an expanded role last year.
The eastbound bridge was reconfigured to accommodate six lanes of traffic, three in each direction, after the westbound bridge was closed on an emergency basis in December 2023.
During a Statehouse news conference on Monday, Gov. Dan McKee said a monitoring report completed in November showed the need for what he described as routine “improvements, refreshes and minor repairs” to the eastbound bridge.
“It’s important to understand that none of the conditions we’re addressing in our maintenance affect the capacity of this bridge or its structural integrity to carry the six lanes we have on it,” said Peter Alviti, director of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation.
Alviti said the state has built redundancy into its assessment of the bridge and that reviewing it every six months is a standard set by the Federal Highway Administration.
Alviti said an independent engineering firm, AI Engineers of Providence, reviewed the monitoring reports from last April and November and found no need for different load ratings on the eastbound bridge. An additional engineering firm supported that finding, and the state added a new system to monitor the bridge late last year.
The cost and timeline of completing a new westbound bridge is expected to be known when a finalist for the job is selected in June.
According to Alviti, the monitoring and maintenance put in place by the state “will be enough to maintain the existing conditions for whatever duration we need them to be in place.”
McKee took issue with sources — which he declined to specifically identify — that he said have questioned the safety of the eastbound bridge.
“I can say here confidently that we are going above and beyond because that is the nature of the issue right now, and that’s the reason that I made sure that these belt and suspenders are being put, so people know that they are traveling over a bridge that is safe.”
McKee and Alviti said the eastbound bridge remains in fair condition — the same condition it was rated with after completion in 2008 due to a reliance on existing footings.
With a race for governor looming next year, McKee offered this comment on an issue that has dominated public attention in Rhode Island for more than a year: “I inherited a bridge that was being repaired that was beyond repair. I stepped in and all the belt and suspenders that the director is talking about has been on my direction.”
