Mixed opinions in East Providence after Washington Bridge demolition announcement

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I (WLNE) — At minimum, two more years of headaches for commuters in the East Bay and beyond.

But the community in East Providence has taken the brunt of Washington Bridge traffic.

Some residents are livid that it took so long to get here.

“It is completely unacceptable, absurd, in all honesty, that it has even taken them this much time to disclose that it’s going to take what, three years,” East Providence resident Sara DaSilva said. “We all knew that it was going to get demolished. But instead of taking care of it, addressing it when it happened originally, or even maybe proactively fixing the bridge, here we are now months in.”

Others taking each day as it comes, glad that any work is getting done.

“I mean, it’s unfortunate you know?” resident Justin DaRocha said. “But I’d rather have them get it done than something like that happens without them knowing.”

That lines up with the mayor’s view from Thursday’s press conference, looking ahead to the project.

“The biggest concern I’ve been hearing all along from people is the unknown,” Mayor Bob DaSilva said. “It looks like we have a plan, and everyone understands that the bridge needs to be replaced. And at least now when you know there’s a plan, there’s a timeline. You can make plans, you can adjust.”

For local businesses, a two-year timeline means there’s no choice but to adjust.

“We’re going to just have to deal with it and come up with solutions at our street level here where we are,”  Sax’s Steak and Pizza Owner Andy Andrikopoulous said.

But even as level heads prevail, officials, all the way up to the governor, are frustrated that they’re at this point in the process.

“I’m not happy about where we are right now,” Gov. Dan McKee said. “I don’t know if you got that impression. I usually don’t raise my voice, but I am not happy where we are right now when I just told you that half of a $78 million is, as was just termed, going into the river.”

For residents concerned about how this eventual demolition will impact travel, there are still plans to expand the eastbound portion of the bridge into three lanes going either direction.

That’s set to be completed in the next few months, ahead of when demolition would theoretically begin.