PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The sudden stoppage of the demolition of the westbound side of the Washington Bridge has left the community with more questions than answers.
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) stopped the work in order to “preserve evidence” in an ongoing legal battle. Last month, the state filed a lawsuit against 13 companies , accusing them of failing to identify the bridge’s “worsening structural issues.”
BACKGROUND: RI stops Washington Bridge demolition citing ongoing legal battle
Many Rhode Islanders have changed their way of life due to the bridge’s closure.
“I had to transfer my job up here because I just can’t do the back and forth,” one woman told 12 News. “I’m spending two hours to go back and forth to a job that used to take 15 minutes.”
The start and unexpected stop of the demolition work has made the project’s timeline even murkier.
“Why, after all these months, do they have to stop demolition of the Washington Bridge when they had all these months to prepare for the evidence?” Lou Medeiros of East Providence asked.