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2/8/2024
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MEDIA ADVISORY: Joint meeting of House, Senate oversight committees scheduled to delve into Washington Bridge crisis
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STATE HOUSE — A joint meeting of the House Committee on Oversight and the Senate Committee on Rules, Government Ethics and Oversight is planned for next week to address the ongoing crisis on the Washington Bridge, the causes of its failure, and plans for its future.
The committee will meet Monday, Feb. 12, at 3 p.m. in Room 35 on the first floor of the State House.
The Washington Bridge, which spans the Seekonk River on the Interstate 195 corridor, was abruptly closed down on Dec. 11, 2023 due to the finding of a critical failure of some bridge components.
The committees are expected to hear testimony from Director of Transportation Peter Alviti, Senior Deputy Chief of Staff, Joseph Almond, who was assigned to monitor the Department of Transportation’s response to the crisis, and Jeffrey Klein, director of structural engineering for Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, the design consultant on the bridge repair project that was underway when the problem was discovered.
The testimony will include a presentation on the closure of the westbound side of the bridge, including the timeline and decision-making process of the closure, the department’s response to the closure, and the next steps.
The House Oversight Committee is chaired by Rep. Patricia Serpa (D-Dist. 27, West Warwick, Coventry, Warwick). The Senate Rules, Government Ethics and Oversight Committee is chaired by Sen. Mark P. McKenney (D-Dist. 30, Warwick).
The meeting will be televised live by Capitol Television, which can be seen on Cox channel 61, on i3Broadband channel 15 and on Verizon channel 34. It will be live streamed at capitoltvri.cablecast.tv.
For more information, contact:
Daniel Trafford, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401)222-1922
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