RIDOT engineer expressed concerns about extra weight on eastbound Washington Bridge
by: Alexandra Leslie
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Though the R.I. Department of Transportation has repeatedly said engineers believe that the eastbound Washington Bridge can handle extra weight from two-way traffic, records obtained by Target 12 show state engineers had concerns earlier this year.
At an April 19 press conference to announce a third lane of westbound traffic would open on the eastbound Washington Bridge, RIDOT Director Peter Alviti assured the public that the added lanes of traffic would not impact the bridge’s condition.
“We had two brand-new reports done on it and they both came back and said that it’s adequate for the use that we’ll be using it for the next several years,” Alviti said at the time.
Records obtained by Target 12 show less than a week later, on April 25, RIDOT filed what’s called a “critical expense request form.” RIDOT spokesperson Charles St. Martin said the term for the expense request is standard and does not mean that the need for the expense is “critical.”
The form, signed by state engineer John Priess, said RIDOT needed $2.75 million to enter into a contract with Kistler. The Swiss technology company has weigh-in monitoring system technology that can weigh trucks in real time at any speed. RIDOT wanted to use the technology on the eastbound bridge.
“The eastbound Washington Bridge has become considerably more sensitive since the closing of the westbound bridge,” the form stated.
In early September, RIDOT said it was installing the new weigh-in monitoring system on the eastbound Washington Bridge as a precautionary measure. Construction had already gotten underway on Aug. 19th.
In a statement to Target 12 on Wednesday, St. Martin stated again that the purchase and installation of the system was proactive and “there are no indications of any issues with the bridge.”
“This purchase should provide peace of mind to anyone who has concerns about the increase in traffic now that there are six active lanes on the bridge,” St. Martin said.
St. Martin added that the state has also used the technology proactively to monitor the structural health of bridges used for traffic diversions during construction. However, the needs for the Washington Bridge were a bit different.
“RIDOT had been researching this technology and found that Kistler was the only company that successfully integrates the weigh-in-motion and bridge structural health monitoring systems to give a complete overview, analysis and live monitoring of a structural condition based on live traffic,” St. Martin said.
Documents obtained by Target 12 show the technology could also be used for enforcement, like issuing tickets for overweight vehicles. But doing so would require legislation to be enacted by the R.I. General Assembly.
St. Martin said no such legislation is in the works, the state would not use the system to issue tickets to overweight or speeding vehicles, and RIDOT did not include any automated ticketing features in its contract with Kistler. Target 12 also confirmed no legislation was filed this past session, and that the legislature had not received any proposed bill from RIDOT.
The weight sensors will be active by the end of the month, while the structural health monitoring component will be active by the end of the year, according to St. Martin.
State officials announced in March that the westbound bridge — which had passed inspection as recently as last July, only to be abruptly closed on Dec. 11 — must be demolished and rebuilt. The bridge was built in 1968 with a design that experts now describe as unusual.
No companies submitted bids to rebuild the westbound bridge when the deadline came and went in early July.
Gov. Dan McKee has acknowledged he doesn’t know when the new westbound bridge might be finished or how much it may cost to build. RIDOT recently surveyed construction companies for guidance and is preparing a second bidding process.
The governor was in Washington on Wednesday to lobby a White House official for the Biden administration to approve a $221 million federal grant that would help cover the cost of the new westbound bridge.
The eastbound bridge is much newer than the westbound side. Though it was first built in 1930, the bridge underwent a replacement and reopened in 2008.
St. Martin said the design life of the eastbound bridge is 75 years, while the design life for the bridge’s deck is 50 years. He added that the deck is scheduled for reconstruction sometime after 2050 and the bridge itself is scheduled for a rebuild sometime after 2080.
“RIDOT will maintain this bridge on an ongoing basis to keep it in a state of good repair,” St. Martin said.
Additionally, RIDOT will perform inspections of the eastbound bridge every six months, he said. The next one is taking place sometime this fall.
Alexandra Leslie (aleslie@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook.