If you’ve tried to get in and out of the East Bay the past two months, you’ve probably noticed – while in traffic – there’s a problem with the westbound span of the Washington Bridge, which takes Interstate 195 over the Seekonk River.
Understanding what went wrong with the bridge is challenging – the state has an army of engineers and consultants working on that now.
How did it happen? And how has it played out? Here’s a timeline:
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Friday Dec. 8: An engineer and a ‘critical finding’
Friday, Dec. 8, 2023, 1:40 p.m.: Andrew Prezioso, a structural engineer and team leader for bridge design contractor VHB, emails Rhode Island Department of Transportation officials with a “critical finding” on the bridge. At least two of the anchor rods securing the concrete spans cantilevered over the river have failed. Another two have narrowed significantly, a sign of stress.
This video led to the shutdown of the Washington Bridge
This video, filmed by an engineer inspecting the bridge, shows the bouncing that led to RIDOT closing the westbound lanes of the Washington Bridge.
2:42 p.m.: RIDOT Managing Engineer Keith Gaulin responds in a group email: “Based on our phone conversation, it seems there are no immediate actions to be taken right at this moment as we try to determine other short and long-term solutions.”
He says it is unclear whether the damage is old or new and asks to set up a meeting Monday to discuss it further.
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Monday, Dec. 11: Shutdown of the bridge
Monday, Dec. 11, 11:30 a.m. – noon: Engineers from RIDOT and VHB are invited to a “Washington Bridge Critical Finding Discussion” virtual meeting. Prezioso shares a video of bridge beams “bouncing.” At some point on Monday afternoon RIDOT Director Peter Alviti Jr. is briefed on the bridge and agrees with “the recommendation from the engineers that the bridge should be closed,” according to RIDOT spokesman Charles St. Martin.
2:52 p.m.: Alviti calls Gov. Dan McKee to tell him there is a problem with the bridge’s westbound span. “The director contacted the governor shortly after deciding to close the bridge,” St. Martin has said.
4:40 p.m.: An email alert is sent to Rhode Island news outlets saying Alviti “will host a press conference to discuss the closure of the westbound side of the Washington Bridge due to the finding of a critical failure of some original bridge components from the 1960s.”
5 p.m.: At the news conference, at RIDOT headquarters on Capitol Hill, Alviti, the only senior official present, tells reporters the potential failure of old parts of the bridge are “such that it could potentially be the cause of a catastrophic failure” and that I-195 West is closed to traffic.
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5:30 p.m.: McKee makes previously scheduled visit to Hope High School basketball practice in Providence.
Why Rhode Island closed half of the Washington Bridge
Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti Jr. explains why the state shut down half of the primary link between eastern and western Rhode Island.
Tuesday, Dec. 12: Catastrophic traffic
Tuesday, Dec, 12, 4:20 a.m.: Cheyenne Cazeault, policy advisor in McKee’s office, alerts state officials to conference call with municipal leaders that morning about the bridge. Morning commute times double, triple or more with the highway only open heading east.
11:30 a.m.: McKee joins Alviti and other officials for a news conference about the bridge closure. McKee calls it “an event that cannot be avoided and cannot be predicted.” Alviti says “we averted a major catastrophe.” Repairs are estimated to take three months.
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4 p.m. – 8 p.m.: The evening commute is worse than the morning, with drivers who crossed the river quickly in the morning now marooned going the other way as East Providence side streets gridlock with motorists trying to get to the Henderson Bridge as an alternative. Some guess it might be faster to drive north to I-95 in Pawtucket; others head south to the Pell Bridge in Newport.
Dec. 13–21: Emergency lanes open
Wednesday, Dec. 13, 5:56 p.m.: Pregnant women are advised not to try to cross the Seekonk to get to the hospital by car and instead to call an ambulance.
Friday Dec. 15, Before dawn: An emergency bypass allows two lanes of westbound traffic to use two lanes of the eastbound span, easing some the worst congestion and spreading it out more evenly to both directions.
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Watch reporters race to downtown Providence during bridge closure
Two reporters race to downtown Providence from East Providence City Hall to see what the best commuting option is.
Monday, Dec. 18: RIDOT tasks bridge consultant Michael Baker and its subcontractors to conduct a “forensic analysis” of the bridge’s condition and how it may have deteriorated. Separately, the Department of Administration hires another firm, McNary Bergeron, to review the forensic analysis and come to its own conclusion.
Thursday, Dec. 21, 6 a.m.: Ferry service from Bristol to Providence begins. Ridership is low.
Jan. 20–28: A federal investigation opens
Wednesday, Jan. 20.: Ferry service ends.
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Monday, Jan. 22: Alviti says engineers are still trying decide how best to repair the bridge and tearing it down can’t be ruled out.
Friday, Jan. 26, 10:20 a.m.: The U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island informs RIDOT it is investigating allegations of false claims for payment on the Washington Bridge and demands documents going back to January 2015. McKee’s office publicly announces the investigation at 6 p.m. and says he will be receiving direct updates from engineers on the repairs.
More: Feds probe alleged ‘false claims’ of work, inspections on Washington Bridge. What we know.
Earlier that morning, Alviti had told East Bay lawmakers that engineers might not have a plan to repair the bridge until the end of February, early March.
Monday, Jan. 28: McKee announces that he has dispatched top aide Joseph Almond to monitor the DOT’s response to the bridge closure.
The judges ruled in favor of local officials who sought to force the federal government to keep the SNAP program running in November.
Volunteers, many of whom use the food bank, hand out food to clients at the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon’s Northeast Emergency Food Program in Portland, Ore., on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025.
Eli Imadali / OPB
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Two federal judges on Friday ordered the Trump administration to use emergency reserve money to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program amid the ongoing federal shutdown. But Oregon and Washington SNAP recipients expecting to get benefits the first week of November could still see a delay.
Judges order the Trump administration to use contingency funds for SNAP payments during the shutdown
Judge John J. McConnell of Rhode Island directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to use contingency funding appropriated by Congress to fund the food stamp program, which helps more than 757,000 Oregonians and more than 905,000 Washington residents buy groceries.
McConnell ordered the federal government to “ distribute the contingency money timely or as soon as possible for the Nov. 1 payments to be made,” as reported by the New York Times.
In a second ruling from Boston, a judge said the federal government would have to use an equitable approach to reducing benefits if it did not have the funds to fully pay for SNAP.
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A spokesperson for Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek did not have an immediate comment and referred questions to the Oregon Department of Human Services, which helps administer the program. A spokesperson for that agency did not immediately respond to a text message.
Oregon contracts with a third-party processor to make benefits payments, and in interviews before Friday’s court rulings, state officials told OPB that means quick changes to SNAP payment plans could overwhelm its systems.
“Due to the unprecedented and complex nature of this situation, ODHS’ EBT vendor that distributes federal SNAP money has not been able to give us a concrete timeline regarding the post-shutdown November SNAP issuance,” an Oregon Department of Human Services spokesperson said.
The Rhode Island federal court order to continue payments came one day before federal funding for the SNAP program was set to run out.
That would have left millions of Americans without the benefits they rely on to put food on their tables. Congress has yet to pass a short-term spending bill to fund programs like SNAP, and the Trump administration said it would not use contingency funds to pay for food assistance.
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In Oregon, more than half of SNAP recipients are seniors, children and people with disabilities.
This is a breaking story. Watch for updates.
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A third teenager has been arrested and charged in the shooting death of a University of Massachusetts student who was working as a congressional intern in Washington, D.C. this summer.
Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, of Granby, Massachusetts, was an innocent bystander when he was shot four times near the convention center in Washington on June 30. Investigators say three armed suspects exited a stolen vehicle and began firing shots at two young men.
Tarpinian-Jachym was rushed to the hospital where he died the next day. Five other people were assaulted or injured in the incident, prosecutors said.
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On Wednesday night, 18-year-old Naqwan Antonio Lucas of the District of Columbia, was arrested in Montgomery Village, Maryland and charged in Tarpinian-Jachym’s murder.
Last month, 17-year-old Kelvin Thomas, Jr. and Naqwan Lucas’ brother, 17-year-old Jailen Lucas, were arrested and charged as adults on counts of first-degree murder while armed in connection with Tarpinian-Jachym’s murder.
Tarpinian-Jachym was a rising senior at UMass Amherst and was spending the summer in Washington as a congressional intern for Rep. Ron Estes, a Republican from Kansas.
Naqwan Lucas pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in D.C. Superior Court on Thursday afternoon. He is being held until a status hearing with his co-defendants on November 7.
Naqwan Lucas was also charged in the July 4 murder of 17-year-old Zoey Kelley, who was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head in a bedroom closet of an apartment in Washington, D.C.
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Last week, the Metropolitan Police Department and FBI announced a $75,000 reward for information leading to Lucas’ arrest.
The 1-2 Washington Wizards are taking on the red hot, 3-0 Philadelphia 76ers. Though early in the season, Philadelphia looks like one of the teams to beat in the eastern conference — even more impressive considering their banged up roster.
Joel Embiid, Paul George and Jared McCain have all missed time thus far this season. McCain will remain out for the foreseeable future, but George and Embiids’ status remains up in the air. Despite the 76ers seemingly being a daunting opponent, there are still a few things that the Wizards can do in order to pull out the win.
Much like the last game, the Wizards are matched up with a 76ers team who is on the tail end of a back-to-back. Washington did come out hot last game, jumping out to an early lead. However, they didn’t sustain that pace throughout the course of the game, allowing the Charlotte Hornets to take over down the stretch. Washington has proven to have the ball handlers and depth necessary to sustain a high pace over the course of a game, its up to them to execute it.
Oct 26, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard CJ McCollum (3) attempts a shot in front of Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) during the third quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images / Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
With the 76ers stacked roster, it will be inherently difficult for the Wizards to slow down their momentum. Between Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Paul George and VJ Edgecombe, the Wizards quite the handful. Because of this, Washington will be forced to focus on one or two players in order to have success. Its difficult to eliminate players of their caliber from games, especially considering the Wizards lack of perimeter defense.
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However, Washington’s best bet would be to try and overwhelm Embiid and Edgecombe. Embiid is well past him prime years and lingering lower body injuries have really slowed him down. As a result, the Wizards pace of play coupled with consistent physical play could effectively remove him from the game. Edgecombe is of course a rookie, allowing Washington to possibly exploit his lack of experience.
Oct 26, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Will Riley (27) attempts a jump shot over Charlotte Hornets center Ryan Kalkbrenner (11) and forward Tidjane Salaun (31) during the second quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images / Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
The one thing that has held consistent for Washington over the course of this season is the offense. Their offense is the base for all of their success and has kept them in every game this season. Philadelphia will undoubtedly have a high powered offense versus the Wizards lack-luster defense, so as a result, Washington will have to get their offense rolling early on in order to keep up.
Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson have brought the heat night in and night out, but Washington will have to get some other guys going in order to keep up. Look for CJ McCollum or Bub Carrington to break out of the slumps they have been in, having their first big games of the season.
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