"Bridge Closure Sparks Commuter Nightmare: Should the Problem Have Been Detected Sooner?"
The sudden closure of the westbound side of the Washington Bridge in Providence has raised questions about whether the problem could have been detected earlier. Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee and RIDOT Director Peter Alviti claim that the bridge monitoring program caught the issue before a catastrophic event occurred. The problem involves a snapped steel pin that holds a beam in place. While inspections were conducted in July and found no reason to close the bridge, new discoveries were made last week. Alviti defends RIDOT's attention to the bridge's maintenance and states that the state's bridges are being continuously monitored and repaired, with over 300 bridges fixed in the past eight years. The emergency repair cost for the Washington Bridge is yet to be determined.