Rhode Island Washington Bridge Collapse Was Planned

Providence, Rhode Island's Washington Bridge was rumored to have a pair of sudden collapses over the weekend but we're setting the record straight.

We all have our opinions as to how the construction project of the Washington Bridge is going and they mostly haven't been favorable.

Over the weekend, workers continued the demolition of the old Washington Bridge. Social media then got involved as rumors were rampant that the bridge collapsed not just once but twice.

It turns out that actually couldn't be further from the truth as sketches of the plan provided to us from RIDOT show these collapses were part of the process.

The strategic plans included what they call a "controlled collapse" of the old bridges.

Charles St. Martin, the Chief of Public Affairs at Rhode Island Department of Transportation, gave us the real story of what happened, and it's not as scandalous as social media made it sound.

"RIDOT visited the site over the weekend and reviewed the pre-approved plans and determined that the contractor executed that plan precisely and in a safe and controlled manner," St. Martin said.

"The barges – which have been used to catch demolition debris throughout this project – were positioned, according to the plan, under that section of bridge and outfitted with timber and mats to cushion the falling debris," he said.

St. Martin did say "a small amount of debris" did enter the water.

"RIDOT has been coordinating with CRMC, verifying that was to be expected and that debris will be removed from the water," he said. "And at no time was this demolition a danger to the eastbound bridge. The demolition was a minimum of 150 feet away from that bridge."

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The debris was also completely expected.

"The debris that fell onto the barges is in the process of being removed," St. Martin said. "The barges are not damaged and will continue to be used for the ongoing demolition of the bridge."

So we can rest assured the videos and photos you may be seeing circulating the internet aren't from some disastrous accident; it's all part of the plan.

So far things are still on track and the bridge will be completed –  well, we haven't been able to get a solid answer on that yet, but at least we know it's progressing.