U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced a grant agreement has been executed for $221 million in federal funding awarded to Rhode Island’s Washington Bridge project. This comes as the Trump Administration inherited roughly 3,200 unobligated grants that had been promoted by the previous administration but never fulfilled. This unprecedented backlog of unobligated grants delayed critical investments in communities across the country. The previous administration announced funding for Washington Bridge in Fall 2024 but failed to sign the agreement.
“Since coming into office, my team has discovered an unprecedented backlog of grants leftover from the previous administration,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “This backlog, along with ridiculous DEI and Green New Deal requirements, prevented real infrastructure from being built and funded. Under the Trump Administration, we’ve ripped out this red tape and are getting back to what matters. As part of our work to deliver real results, we are pleased to announce $221 million in grants for Rhode Island’s Washington Bridge – a critical link that carries thousands of vehicles a day.”
Rhode Island’s Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz and House Minority Leader Mike Chippendale commented:
“Thank you to Secretary Duffy and USDOT for being so responsive to our recent communications with the Administration about the Washington Bridge. Delivering a meaningful solution for the people of Rhode Island on the most serious infrastructure failure our state has experienced is paramount to our work. We look forward to continuing to “build bridges” with the new administration and welcome the additional accountability that comes with the use of federal funds.”
Under Secretary Duffy’s leadership, the Department is working diligently to accelerate the distribution of these long-overdue funds and address core infrastructure projects.
Background:
Washington Bridge:
The westbound Washington Bridge on I-195 has been closed since December 2023 after a critical failure was discovered during reconstruction, including severed tie rods, failing post-tensioned concrete girders, and overall concrete quality. It was later determined the entire bridge needed to be replaced. The Washington Bridge connects Providence and East Providence over the Seekonk River. The crossing consists of three separate parallel bridges. The westbound span was built in 1969 and carried five lanes of traffic. The bridge connects to several major highways nearby including I-95, I-295, US-6, RI-10, and RI-146, and is a transportation link between Rhode Island and points southwest with eastern Rhode Island, southeastern Massachusetts, and Cape Cod.