PROVIDENCE – Friday night’s “virtual meeting” began with an acknowledgement by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation that the demolition work resuming on the Washington Bridge next week may be noisy and unsettling to the people who live within earshot, especially the concussive nighttime work starting again on Tuesday.
“We have heard the concerns from the neighborhood over the last few weeks. These include noise, dust, traffic impacts, and overall durations for demolition,” said an unseen David Walsh, assistant director for administration at the DOT.
“This presentation will address each of these concerns in detail,” he promised.
But the meeting – which was actually the online presentation of a slide deck – ended nine minutes after it began, with no opportunity for anyone to ask a question or get an answer. And state Transportation Director Peter Alviti did not speak, prompting this rebuke from Dan J. Perry Jr., executive director of the R.I. Young Republicans on “X”:
“How does the director not lead the call? How is it only 9 minutes long? How do you not take questions? Disgraceful.”