PROVIDENCE – An engineer claimed the broken rods on the Washington Bridge may have happened earlier than when it was discovered in December, with recent construction making the problem noticeable, according to emails sent to the R.I. Department of Transportation obtained by multiple news agencies Wednesday.
In an email sent to a group of RIDOT engineers on Friday, Dec. 8, at 1:40 p.m. an engineer with VHB, one of the firms working on the bridge, sent inspection notes and a video, detailing a problem with the rods that hold up the bridge at Piers 6 and 7.
“There are 12 rods per pier with 2 rods per pier that are at the fascias and fully exposed as part of the original construction of the bridge,” he wrote in the email obtained by WPRI-TV CBS 12 and other news outlets. “Of the 4 locations that are exposed, 2 locations show the rods have failed.” He also expressed concern about the deterioration of the other rods.
“Should we be processing this find through the formal critical finding process with RIDOT inspection?” he asked. “Please advise.”
An hour later, Keith Gaulin, deputy chief engineer for bridges at RIDOT, replied by indicating there was no need to close the bridge that day.
“Based on our phone conversation, it seems there are no immediate actions to be taken right at this moment as we try to determine other short and long-term solutions,” Gaulin wrote in the email obtained by news outlets, adding that a meeting should be set up for Monday morning to figure out what to do “ASAP.”
Notably, Gaulin suggested the rods’ failure might not be new, writing that the issue “may have pre-existed but was not noticeable until now as this area is more exposed due to current construction work.”
The emails contradict how RIDOT Director Peter Alviti Jr. concluded that a catastrophic event had caused the rods to fail in the months after its last inspection the previous July, WPRI reported.
The emails were made public to WPRI and other outlets in response to a request under Rhode Island’s Access to Public Records Act. RIDOT required payments between $300 and $450 for the documents, citing a provision in state law that allows agencies to charge for records requests.
The Interstate 195 westbound side of the bridge was closed to all traffic on Dec. 11 after engineers found “a critical failure” of some of the bridge’s original components dating back to the 1960s. The closure led to several days of traffic snarls which were eased but not eliminated after a partial reopening on Dec. 15.
On Jan. 26, Gov. Daniel J. McKee announced that the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of the Inspector General are investigating the state’s handling of the Washington Bridge closure.
McKee spokesperson Olivia DaRocha said in an emailed statement that federal investigators contacted the R.I. Department of Transportation “seeking documents and records related to the Washington Bridge.”
“This is not unexpected, and the governor welcomes the review,” she said. “The governor has instructed the [transportation department] to fully cooperate.” She also noted the governor’s call for the state Department of Administration to hire “an independent, third-party expert to review this matter as well.”
State officials on Jan. 22 acknowledged that the bridge may need to be torn down and rebuilt, depending on the findings of a review conducted by engineering contractors.
RIDOT Director Peter Alviti Jr. said he expects to receive an analysis and recommendations on the next steps from the engineers by the end of February or early March, DaRocha said.
McKee on Jan. 29 announced that he tapped Senior Deputy Chief of Staff Joseph Almond to oversee RIDOT’s response to the Washington Bridge problems – adding to speculation that the administration’s support Alviti may be eroding.
The governor’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether the administration still has full confidence in Alviti’s leadership.
