Travelers frustrated with gridlock conditions all across the city

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Tuesday morning was a mess for drivers.

Providence was in a gridlock and people were not happy.

“It is really pitiful knowing that this was going to be an issue that they would allow people to sit in gridlock. It is pitiful, pitiful. Shame on you, Providence,” said Chuck Tyler, Plymouth.

Commuters are frustrated after sitting in hours of traffic since the emergency closure of the westbound side of the Washington Bridge.

The Rhode Island department of transportation announced the closure Monday and the department said the bridge is not safe for vehicles to drive on.

“The critical finding was the failure of several critical components on that bridge. The failure is such that is could be the cause of a catastrophic failure, so we need to act on that,” said Peter Alviti, director, RIDOT.

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley checked in on local businesses Tuesday morning amid the travel crisis.

“It is a bad situation. I have spent all morning here in Wayland Wquare talking to business owners that given the circumstances they are given what they need. Providence police are out at nearly every intersection along the detour route to help with the flow of traffic,” said Mayor Smiley.

RIDOT said repairs of the bridge could take three to four months.

“They have a pretty good attitude, everyone appreciates that one, there wasn’t anything they could have done about this, and two, a little bit of traffic is a little better than a catastrophic bridge failure where someone could have died,” concluded Smiley