A decision on the future of the Washington Bridge in Providence, Rhode Island, could take months, and now lawmakers have one question when it comes to the solution of the bridge: Where is this money coming from?
The cost of the whole Washington Bridge project, including the closure, repairs or replacements, is still unknown and depends on the investigation’s assessment of the damages.
Oversight hearings are expected to begin next month.
House Minority Leader Michael Chippendale is raising questions over past spending.
Get New England news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NECN newsletters.
"We do have one of the highest road maintenance fees in our gas tax where you clearly haven't been using it to maintain our roads or bridges because well, they're falling down," Chippendale told NBC affiliate WJAR on Tuesday.
Under Gov. Dan McKee's current budget proposal, the Department of Transportation's budget for the 2025 fiscal year stands at more than $800 million, reported WJAR. The budget won't be approved until June.
Lawmakers hope they'll have an estimate of that cost before that time.
The westbound side of the Washington Bridge was shut down on Dec. 11 because of a "critical failure of some bridge components."
The bridge carries Interstate 195 over the Seekonk River from Providence to East Providence and serves as a key gateway to Rhode Island's largest city. It carries close to 100,000 vehicles every day.
