House Committee on Small Business hears from owners affected by Washington Bridge

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Island’s congressional delegation wants the federal Small Business Administration to step up its efforts to help in the state.  

The delegation sent a letter to the SBA drew attention to the fact that only 10-percent of loan applications submitted have been approved at this point.  

The letter also asks for an update on the status of the other loan applications, and how long it will take for them to be approved.  

The Washington Bridge was also a hot topic on Smith Hill as members of the House Committee on Small Business got to hear from impacted owners.  

Bob Burke, owner of the well known French restaurant Pot au Feu in Providence testified that sales are down, 30-to-50-percent on what used to be busy Friday nights because people just don’t want to sit in traffic to dine out.  

He said he’s had to cut back on employees’ work hours as a result.  

Burke says one of his servers lives in Coventry and on Fridays gives himself two hours to get to Providence because he can’t trust the inconsistent travel times.