PROVIDENCE, RI — The sudden westbound closure of one of the busiest bridges in Rhode Island has left commuters stranded for hours and sent others driving far off their normal path as the state's congressional delegation sought federal funds to expedite emergency repairs.
State authorities said a critical structural failure in the Washington Bridge resulted in its closure late Monday afternoon. The bridge carries Interstate 195 over the Seekonk River from Providence to East Providence and serves as a major gateway to the state's largest city. The bridge carries nearly 100,000 vehicles every day.
“What would normally be a morning commute of a 40- to 45-minute drive was 4 1/2 hours,” John Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island, said Tuesday. He was able to work from home on Wednesday.
The repair work could take months. Traffic was temporarily routed to two lanes on the east side.
Gov. Dan McKee and state and local officials planned to provide an update on the response to the partial shutdown Wednesday afternoon. McKee was in East Providence with Mayor Bob DaSilva in the morning to survey traffic conditions and identify areas that needed a change in traffic patterns.
“Public safety comes first. There are a lot of moving parts here and we will ensure the federal government does its part to help Rhode Island repair and reopen this bridge,” the state's congressional delegation said in a news release Tuesday.
U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo said they wrote a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg urging the administration to release existing funding that will allow for the completion of the emergency work could accelerate at the bridge.
The delegation also urged technical assistance from the federal government to optimize work on faster repairs, lane changes, detour design and shuttle buses.