Providence Journal: RI's congressional delegation asks for help from feds in Washington Bridge closure fiasco

Looking at Rhode Island's bridge fiasco from the nation's capitol, where gridlock refers to legislation not major interstate highways, the members of state's Island's all-Democrat congressional delegation are working their Rolodexes.

In a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the delegation asked the Federal Highway Administration and the Department of Transportation inspector general to "evaluate the adequacy of bridge inspections" in Rhode Island, and for federal assistance in identifying "obsolete design features on other bridges that could lead to a critical failure."

In a joint statement, they also said they are using their connections in Washington, D.C., to try to speed up access to federal money that would accelerate the completion of emergency repairs to the underpinnings of the closed westbound side of the Washington Bridge over the Seekonk River between Providence and East Providence. They are also seeking "technical assistance" on "repairs, lane shifts, detour design, shuttle buses, and more. "

First big crisis for freshly sworn-in Amo

Little more than a month into office, freshman U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo is at the center of the crisis as the newly elected representative of Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District, which extends down the East Bay corridor that suddenly lost highway access to Providence and beyond on Monday night.

Asked what kinds of calls his office is fielding – and what he is doing to help his constituents back home – Amo, a former aide in the Biden White House, told The Journal:

“Since becoming aware of the emergency closure of the Washington Bridge Monday evening, I have been reaching out to my colleagues across the whole of the federal government, including at the White House and the Department of Transportation and their Federal Highway Administration, in addition to staying in near-constant communication with the rest of the congressional delegation."

“Getting this critical transit artery through the heart of our 1st Congressional District repaired and reopened is critically important," he said.

Delegation working to get federal money to RI for bridge fix

A day earlier, Rhode Island's four representatives in Washington – Amo, U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner and Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse – issued a joint statement on their efforts to get federal money and technical assistance.

“Public safety is paramount. There are lots of moving parts here, and we will ensure the federal government does its part to assist Rhode Island with getting this bridge repaired and reopened," the statement read.

“Right now our efforts are focused on working with the U.S. Department of Transportation. In the days and weeks ahead, we anticipate working with additional federal agencies, such as the U.S. Small Business Administration, and others, on varying impacts from this emergency bridge closure," the statement continued.

They also made public a copy of their letter to Buttigieg (and copied to President Joe Biden).

It said, in part: "With nearly 100,000 vehicle crossings per day, the Washington Bridge is a vital commuter and freight transportation link for the state and the region. The Washington Bridge is the primary and fastest route for Rhode Islanders in the eastern part of our state to access the Providence hospitals and the area’s only Level 1 trauma center." (A single lane has since been opened on the closed bridge for ambulances.)

Their letter continued: "To ensure that the bridge can safely reopen as quickly as possible, we urge you to expedite any approvals requested by RIDOT. We also ask that you provide technical assistance to the state where applicable to optimize work on repairs, lane shifts, detour design, shuttle buses, and other items as necessary."

For reasons that may not provide much comfort to gridlocked drivers, they also noted that: "Congress has made significant investments in improving the safety of our bridges. ... Indeed, Rhode Island received the most funding of any state under this program every year since its inception."

Delegation also asks Small Business Association to get involved

On Wednesday, the delegation made public another letter urging the U.S. Small Business Administration to "promptly review any disaster assistance request from the state" to help those affected.

If the state certifies that enough small businesses suffered "substantial economic injury" from the bridge closure to warrant an SBA disaster declaration, their letter said, the governor can ask the SBA to allow small-business owners to apply for up to $2 million in Economic Injury Disaster loans with below-market interest rates, and also open a Business Recovery Center for in-person meetings with SBA loan specialists.