U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will travel to Rhode Island on Tuesday to tour the Washington Bridge and meet with key officials to discuss the reconstruction plan.
Buttigieg is also scheduled to visit other transportation and infrastructure projects and meet with workers. He will attend a groundbreaking for the Woonasquatucket River Greenway Project and meet with workers to hear how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is increasing job opportunities in the state.
Specific details about the timing of his visits has not yet been released.
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee announced Thursday that the Washington Bridge, which was partially shut down over safety concerns back in December, will need to be demolished and replaced.
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An independent review of the bridge — which carries Interstate 195 over the Seekonk River from Providence to East Providence and serves as a key gateway to Providence — found additional structural deficiencies requiring that it be replaced. The state must replace both the bridge’s superstructure and part or all of the substructure, the governor said.
“We’re going to fix the bridge, we’re going to make it right, and we’re going to make sure we keep people safe,