Washington Bridge Needs Full Replacement Or Major Repairs: Report

EAST PROVIDENCE, RI — An engineering draft report assessing the Washington Bridge structural has reportedly revealed the bridge either needs major repairs or needs to be replaced.

This revelation came to life after WPRI 12 obtained a 45-page report by Michael Murdock of VN Engineers Inc., dated Wednesday. It urges the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) to consider "the demolition and replacement of the superstructure, and potentially a full bridge replacement."

According to the draft report, anything less than these two options puts the bridge at risk of collapsing.

"The repairs and strengthening required to address the documented deterioration and deficiencies along the structure are significant, have limited viability, and have significant risk associated with them," the report obtained by WPRI 12 read.

RIDOT officials have made no public statement since the Washington Bridge report came to light. But last month, RIDOT Director Peter Alviti admitted the bridge may need to be torn down and rebuilt because of structural deficiencies.

"What they find will determine the scope of the work that we need to do in order to correct any deficiencies on the bridge," Alviti said in a news conference last month. "They could come in with a number of different scenarios to us, depending upon what they find and what extent the repairs are necessary. It could be a repair of the existing structure, although extensive, it could be a reconstruction of various components of the bridge struct, or it could be a complete rebuild of the entire bridge."

No estimates on what the bridge could cost to replace or repair have been released. RIDOT has already spent $35 million over the last several years repairing the bridge's deck. Those repairs were part of a $78 million rehabilitation project that was supposed to extend the Washington Bridge's life another 25 years.

Read more on the Washington Bridge situation

• Washington Bridge Getting Additional Travel Lanes: McKee, RIDOT
• 'Critical Failure' Closes Washington Bridge, Possibly For Months
• I-195 West Bypass Lanes Open Early On Washington Bridge
• Bypass Lanes, Ferries, Small Business Relief: Washington Bridge Update
• RI Small Business Loans Approved In Wake Of Bridge Shutdown: Report
• Bristol-Providence Ferry Service Ends.

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