PROVIDENCE – Over the past few years, resilience has been a common theme – and a necessity – for many of Rhode Island's small businesses, such as Opt Eyewear Boutique in Wayland Square.
“We survived COVID. We had to move entirely, and we survived an entire buildout,” said owner Jessica Leach, who took out a loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration to weather the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, Leach is applying for another SBA loan – this time, in response to the emergency closure of the westbound lanes on the Washington Bridge. But with pandemic-era lending already weighing on the business’s finances, she’s not eager to take on more debt.
"It doesn't seem that we should have to ... go through more loans through the SBA because of the bridge,” Leach said. “It’s like a slap in the face.”
But like other businesses with customers or employees who rely on the Washington Bridge, Leach says that intense rush hour traffic continues to take a toll on business almost eight weeks after the state found critical infrastructure deficiencies on the westbound side of the bridge.
Opt Eyewear Boutique has a heavy customer base in southeastern Massachusetts, Leach said, with almost 35% of clients living in the region due to advertising efforts the business previously extended to this area. But now, many of those customers are reluctant to stop in, fearing they’ll hit intense traffic along the way.
While drivers’ concerns are warranted during the morning and evening rush hours, traffic anxieties are often misguided outside of peak commuting times, said East Providence Mayor Roberto L. DaSilva.
When there are no accidents along the busiest routes, “traffic is free-flowing outside of rush hour times in the morning and rush hour times in the evening,” DaSilva said.
Still, business owners in the community are reporting that customers are reluctant to drive through East Providence at all, DaSilva said, fearing that they’ll hit intense traffic regardless of the time of day.
Hercilia Corona, co-owner of Madrid European Bakery and Patisserie in Wayland Square, said she’s fielded similar concerns about traffic.
“We hear from customers that it's not so much a longer commute that has kept them away, but rather the unpredictability of traffic and a fear that an expected 30-minute drive to us could turn into a two-hour jam,” Corona said.
While sales suffered in the initial days of the bridge closure, business has mostly rebounded at the bakery, Corona said, noting that it benefits from a strong, hyperlocal customer base that can access the bakery on foot.
“This said, we have seen a decline in folks coming to visit us from outside the immediate neighborhood,” Corona added. “We understand that customers are weighing heavily whether to ‘brave it’ on any given day in order to grab one of our treats.”
But shortly before the bridge closure, the business announced plans to launch a second location on County Road in Barrington, which Corona hopes will help to reach this customer base.
In addition to customer access, many business owners and their employees continue to struggle with significantly longer commutes during rush hour.
Some East Providence residents are “feeling the strain of not being able to get to work on time,” DaSilva said. At one private school in the city, an administrator told him that some parents are considering pulling their kids from the school due to timing difficulties caused by the lengthened commute.
Businesses in the East Bay have reported similar issues.
At Warren manufacturer Magnetic Seal Corp., also known as Magseal, some employees have seen their commute times double or triple since the bridge closure, said company President Robert Garde, "which affects their ability to work overtime, as well as greatly affects their personal time at home.”
The business has allowed employees flexible work hours to help them avoid the worst of rush hour, Garde said, but some can’t make use of this offer due to other commitments outside of work.
Additionally, anxieties around the bridge closure and related traffic can "easily influence Magseal’s ability to recruit and acquire new talent in support of our growth," Garde added.
State officials, meanwhile, including R.I. Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti Jr. and Gov. Daniel J. McKee, have faced sharp criticism for their handling of the bridge closure, with some alleging a lack of transparency and urgency in addressing the issue.
The U.S. Department of Justice has also become involved and is "seeking documents and records related to the Washington Bridge" from RIDOT as it investigates the closure.
Olivia DaRocha, a spokesperson for McKee's office, said on Thursday that the state is "continuing to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pursue any available funding options related to the Washington Bridge."
Over the weekend, McKee asked the federal agency for flexibility in granting "major disaster" assistance to Rhode Island – assistance that FEMA typically reserves for natural disaster relief.
The SBA’s recent loan program, meanwhile, will disperse up to $2 million in low-interest loans to businesses in communities most impacted by the bridge closure. A spokesperson for the SBA did not immediately respond to a PBN inquiry on whether it may provide additional financial assistance, such as grants, to affected businesses.
State officials initially said bridge repairs would take a minimum of three months, but have since dashed hopes that repairs could occur this quickly. Crews continue to assess the bridge to come up with a timeline for repairs, officials say, or – in a worst-case scenario – a complete demolition and rebuild.
Corona also hopes to see Rhode Island officials think creatively to help customers access small businesses during the closure.
“Anything leaders can do to make the commute ‘worthwhile’ for folks would be of benefit to small businesses – perhaps free street parking, or similar initiatives,” Corona said. “In all honesty, we think the biggest impact will come from our neighbors and community.”
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Voghel@PBN.com.
