Sheldon Whitehouse Presses Infrastructure Officials: What Are The 'Causes Of Our Bridge Failures'?

4 months ago

On Wednesday, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) questioned officials on bridge infrastructure after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge during a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing.

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Transcript

00:00Thank you, Chairman. Good to have you all here. Thank you, Administrator Butt, for being here.

00:07Thank you also for your travels to Rhode Island. Maryland is not the only state that has a bridge

00:13predicament, as you know. Rhode Island's Washington Bridge goes over the Seekonk River.

00:22It carries a federal artery on it, where the Key Bridge runs about 30,000 vehicles per day.

00:32The Washington Bridge runs closer to 100,000 vehicles per day. And for the eastern half

00:42of my state, it's the essential artery for getting, for instance, to the hospitals of

00:52Rhode Island, to the Rhode Island Hospital emergency room, for instance.

00:57So it's very important to us to get this attended to with as much federal support as we can.

01:08I understand that we are looking at what the causes are of our bridge's failure

01:15to see whether it can qualify for emergency designation. And thankfully, our failure was

01:25caught before the collapse of the bridge. We just had to close it immediately, at least most of it.

01:32But we are where we are as a result, and it's going to be important to me and to

01:39Rhode Island's delegation to make sure that we are not exactly in Maryland's position,

01:46because we are probably not an emergency. We thankfully did not have loss of life,

01:51but to be on a similar track of federal attention. So we've said that to you before.

02:01Governor McKee has said that to you. Our whole delegation has said that to you. This is not

02:06news to you. But since you are here, I wanted to remind you of that and ask if you had any

02:12comments to that point you could make. Thank you, Senator. And I am well aware,

02:18both through my visits and our numerous conversations, of the importance and the

02:22impact to Providence, East Providence, and the entire state. I actually flew into Providence

02:28when I was on my way up to visit the Cape Cod bridges, just so I could see how things were

02:32going. Good to see that because of the efforts of Rhode Island DOT that some of the flow is better.

02:37The flow is better. We'll continue to work with Rhode Island on this. Grateful that it was caught

02:43before it became a deadly disaster and commitment to just staying close contact as we move forward.

02:51Close contact is nice, but the request is that we stay on a time track similar to the Key Bridge

03:02project and that there be significant resources available. We are dealing with a very significant

03:09expenditure for the state of Rhode Island for a really essential piece of federal

03:16infrastructure. I mean, you landed at T.F. Green Airport and you drove north on 95 and then you

03:24turned across the bridge to 195 in order to get to Cape Cod. All of eastern Massachusetts is

03:30accessed through that multi-lane highway which goes over that bridge. So it's really important

03:37not just to Rhode Island, but also to those seeking to get to eastern Massachusetts and to

03:44the Cape and so forth to have that bridge repaired and the expense is going to be considerable. Looks

03:50like we're going to have to tear a significant portion of the bridge down and then commission

03:56a rebuild of a new structure. I don't think we're going to hit 1.7 billion, but it's going to be a

04:02big number and it's going to be a particularly big number for a small state. We think it's

04:08important that it's a value that Rhode Island adds to have that junction of 95 and 195 right

04:15in the middle of our state. It's a very important piece of the federal infrastructure of the

04:22entire northeast and now that it has been put in this peril,

04:31we're really eager to make sure that the federal government understands that this federal highway

04:36needs federal support so that we can get it back in full safe operation for another 50 to 100 years.

04:46Yes, sir. I fully agree with you. I understand the impacts. I think as

04:52Ranking Member Capito said, if this was in any one of your states, you would make this argument.

04:56So I hear you. I know that they just had an RFP that was out there to get a repair on the bridge

05:03that did not ultimately have any companies competing. So going to continue to work with

05:09Rhode Island DOT to get that bridge open as quickly as possible and we'll meet with you

05:13on as much funds as are legally eligible.

05:18The funding is going to be key and the timing of the funding is going to matter.

05:21Thank you very much, Chairman.

05:22You're quite welcome.

Sheldon Whitehouse Presses Infrastructure Officials: What Are The 'Causes Of Our Bridge Failures'?

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