PROVIDENCE – A virtual meeting Thursday with Gov. Daniel J. McKee and the R.I. Department of Transportation on the status of the Washington Bridge demolition was light on new developments but heavy on citizens directly affected weighing in with their opinions.
After the first meeting held on Oct. 11 – the Friday before Columbus Day weekend, which lasted less than 10 minutes and did not include public comment – was widely criticized, McKee promised another meeting to lay bare all that is known and expected in the state’s effort to tear down and rebuild the century-old structure.
In addition to concerns over environmental contamination of the Providence River, the feedback included a young father and Fox Point resident at home with his newborn; a bicyclist who has lost his footing on the bike paths near the bridge approach; adjacent neighbors with dust washing over their properties; and others who fight for sleep during overnight construction because of the noise levels approaching 80 decibels.
R.I. Department of Transportation Director Peter
Alviti Jr. Alviti acknowledged the nuisance – the outcome of destroying “massive concrete structures” of aging infrastructure in urban areas – but said it was unavoidable, adding the overnight work would only go on for another three evenings between now and Oct. 22.
Alviti reiterated it will be more than a year before the demolition is completed. A construction contract is expected in June 2025.
However, what the bridge will look like, when it will be completed and how much it is going to cost remains unknown. Also undetermined is the overall economic impact to date that has resulted from the crisis. Alviti acknowledged it hasn’t been analyzed.
McKee said he has been receiving monthly reports from RIDOT and promised to release them publicly on the department’s website, in addition to funding and expense data “and any differential as a result of the temporary delay that we had.”
The administration on Oct. 15 announced the release of a qualifications request through its public bidding portal, the first step in the lengthy process of selecting a bridge builder for the vital project that is expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
The following day, the state’s congressional delegation announced the U.S. Department of Transportation had awarded a $95.6 million grant for the Washington Bridge rebuild.
Combined with the previous $124.39 million grant from the National Infrastructure Project Assistance program received in September, Rhode Island has been awarded a total of $220.98 million in federal funding to replace the Washington Bridge, fully funding the state’s request for the project.
It’s far too soon to tell what the final product will look like, Alviti said.
“That will be brought into focus during the RFP process,” he said.
The “good news,” McKee said, is that the bridge closure will have no impact on other RIDOT projects in the works.
However, “We are not setting any timelines in terms of building the bridge,” he said.
As for what nearby residents can expect in the next three nights of work, Alviti said, “It will be similar in nature and sound” to what they have become accustomed to in recent days.
(UPDATE recasts the lede, plus changes throughout the story, including adding comments and reaction from Thursday night's meeting.)
Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com.
