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Timeline of the Washington Bridge closure: Here’s how it all happened

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2 years ago

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Timeline of the Washington Bridge closure: Here’s how it all happened


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.

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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.

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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.

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Washington

Inside Woodlawn Cemetery’s mission to preserve history

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18 hours ago

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June 24, 2026

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Inside Woodlawn Cemetery’s mission to preserve history


The iron gate to Woodlawn Cemetery is almost always locked shut, but Toni White-Richardson was more than happy to let News4 inside.

As president of the Woodlawn Cemetery Perpetual Care Association, she was excited to talk about what makes this resting place so special.

“It is major D.C. history, first. Then it’s also major Black history, second,” White-Richardson said.

More than 30,000 people, mostly African Americans, are buried among the 22 acres of Woodlawn Cemetery, which opened in Southeast D.C. in 1895. And like so many cemeteries that date back to the 1800s, particularly African American cemeteries, this one has fallen into disrepair, is overgrown and has headstones tumbled over, like those of Wilhelmina and her husband James, and Eliza Spencer, a mother who died in 1887.

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“Let me do a very upfront disclaimer,” White-Richardson said. “We have no idea where these stones go. And when we looked at the grid, it became even clear as mud, it became less clear as to where these stones should really go. Unfortunately, when we look back, we can tell there was a plan, but we could see we never got totally completed. Even back then, there are no markers saying this is Section H or this is Section G or this is 102 and this is, none of that.”

One of the most notable Washingtonians laid to rest here is John Mercer Langston, Virginia’s first Black congressman.

“Langston University came one year because they had a grand reunion in D.C., and we arranged for them to come to see […] John Mercer Langston, the university that was named after this man,” White-Richardson said.

And Blance Bruce, the first Black U.S. senator to serve a full term and register of the treasury, is also buried in the cemetery.

“He’s the signature on our dollar bill, you know, back in the late 1800s,” White-Richardson said. “So, oh, it’s history. It’s capital letters. No getting around it.”

Woodlawn is also the resting place of several of the original founders of two of the country’s most prominent Black sororities, Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta. Both organizations volunteer to help with clean ups.

The Perpetual Care Association recently received a grant from the D.C. Office of Planning to help with upkeep of the grounds and preserving the history here.

“These are important individuals who’ve made contributions to the District a century ago, but today still their history and their stories reverberate and really influence the trajectory of our city,” said Anita Cozart, director of the D.C. Office of Planning.

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The cemetery tucked away off Benning Road is only open to the public five days a year, but groups can request tours anytime. The next chance to visit Woodlawn when it will be open to the public is Labor Day.

They’re always looking for volunteers and donors to help with the upkeep of this sacred ground.



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Washington

Parsing Trump’s claims about Washington’s reflecting pool

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1 day ago

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June 24, 2026

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Parsing Trump’s claims about Washington’s reflecting pool


US President Donald Trump wanted to mark the US’s 250th birthday with a renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall.

The makeover, including a new coat of “American Flag blue,” cost taxpayers $16 million (€14.1 million).

But the water is covered in green algae. The blue paint is already peeling. Trump has blamed vandals, while his critics question the project’s transparency and cost.

DW’s Brent Goff and Washington correspondent Janelle Dumalaon unpack the whole fiasco.

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Washington

Social media reacts to former BYU star AJ Dybantsa going No. 1 in 2026 NBA draft

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2 days ago

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June 23, 2026

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Social media reacts to former BYU star AJ Dybantsa going No. 1 in 2026 NBA draft


Former BYU basketball star AJ Dybantsa fulfilled his dream of going No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA draft.

The Washington Wizards selected Dybantsa with the first pick.

Immediately after the pick, reactions poured in on social media about the Wizards drafting Dybantsa.

Social media reactions to the Washington Wizards selecting BYU star AJ Dybantsa

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.

Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.

Want more coverage of BYU sports? Take us with you wherever you go.

Download the new and improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. Allows you to stream live radio and video, keeping you up to date on all your favorite teams.

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