Public speaker urges state environmental review and rail alternative for proposed Washington Bridge replacement

Grant Algerian, a Providence resident who spoke during public comment at the July 8 Newport City Council meeting, urged the council to ask the state to require an environmental impact statement for the proposed replacement of the Washington Bridge.

Algerian said engineering updates announced previously had escalated to a proposal to demolish and replace the bridge with a parallel highway bridge at an estimated minimum cost of $250 million. He argued that a full EIS should examine alternatives to a new highway bridge, including passenger rail service linking Providence, East Providence, Riverside, Barrington, Warren, Bristol, Portsmouth, Jamestown and Newport.

“An EIS looks at the proposed action, the no-action alternative and other alternatives,” Algerian said. “What would my alternative be? Rail.”

Why it matters: An environmental impact statement would analyze broader environmental, economic and transportation impacts of a major, costly project and formally compare alternatives. Algerian told the council that the state is preparing short- and long-term transportation plans and that the timing is appropriate to request an EIS.

Council response: Councilors did not take formal action during the meeting on Algerian’s request. The public comment was received as part of the meeting record; Algerian offered to answer questions and said he is an environmentalist who supports more study before committing to a large bridge build.

Ending: Algerian asked Newport to take a lead role in asking the state for a formal environmental review and to include rail as an alternative; councilors suggested the administration could be asked to consider the request, but no formal referral or motion was recorded during the meeting.