Highway Administrator visits Washington Bridge, says rebuild is a possibility

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — United States Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt joined Rhode Island state officials Monday to discuss the future of the Washington Bridge.

Bhatt gave his thoughts on whether workers can continue repairs on the bridge or if it will have to be torn down and replaced.

“The reason I came up here today is because of the transition of a potential repair to a potential replacement,” Bhatt said.

Bhatt added that operational and traffic experts will analyze traffic patterns and decide the most effective way to set up the area this week.

Engineers and experts will work with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) if the bridge does wind up needing to be replaced, which could take anywhere from one to two years to complete.

“We are going to look at two separate things,” Bhatt explained. “One is what got us to this point, and then how do we get this repaired as quickly as possible.”

Bhatt emphasized the need to investigate further before making a decision.

“We will go through all of the forensics as to what bridge inspections showed at the point,” Bhatt continued “I will say, after looking at the pins where there is a critical issue, there has to be a break at some point.”

“Did that break occur before and was it missed? Did it occur after? We will figure that out forensically,” Bhatt concluded.

Bhatt said he understands the frustration that residents and commuters are experiencing due to the bridge closure and says his team will do everything in their power to keep the effects to a minimum.

“Our hearts go out to the people who are really bearing the impacts of this,” Bhatt said. “If this does turn out to be a long-time closure with a replacement, we are going to work to mitigate those impacts as quickly as possible.”