Washington Bridge Demolition to Resume, RIDOT Holding Community Meeting on Friday
GoLocalProv News Team
Washington Bridge Demolition to Resume, RIDOT Holding Community Meeting on Friday
The demolition of the Washington Bridge is set to resume next Tuesday, October 15.
A series of GoLocal reports unveiled the impact of the demolition on the neighborhood.
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Video and drone footage captured the noise and the dust impact of the work on the Fox Point Neighborhood.
After weeks of delay, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is finally holding a community forum.
RIDOT had promised to engage the community before the neighborhood prior to the demolition, but that never took place.
Now, it says it is hosting a "a virtual meeting to review the demolition project for the westbound Washington Bridge" on Friday night at 6:00 PM.
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In September, neighbors raised concerns about the impact of the demolition on the Fox Point neighborhood.
“We were not ready for it. Three hydraulic demolition hammers started up at about 9:30 p.m. Our house started shaking, and we measured about 85 decibels on our iPhone app,” Lanre Akinsiku told GoLocal.
He said, “It was miserable. It went on until about 4 AM and pounded constantly, constantly.”
Akinsiku said that he and his neighbors were given no warning.
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The demolition was suspended reportedly due to issues related to the preservation of evidence tied to the State of Rhode Island's lawsuit against contractors.