Bad RI bridges,
dangerous dilemma

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - If your house is on fire, or you're in a car accident, what happens if the closest route to you includes one of the state's crumbling bridges?

The Target 12 Investigators have learned rescue vehicles across the state could be delayed or even stopped altogether because they can't cross a troubled span.

The troubled bridges are scattered across the state. There are 77 deficient bridges in all, or 53 percent, and at the current repair rate, it will take 62 years to repair all of the Ocean State's bridges.

Cities are expected to respond to fires within four minutes, rural departments within ten. But those times are about to change.

Several bridges are scheduled for overhauls in the spring, forcing firefighters to come up with contingency plans to avoid big delays.

The fear is the fire crews can't get to. In Providence, the Union Ave bridge is one of those spans closing for repairs in the spring. That will cut off the Messer Street station, the busiest in New England, from part of Silver Lake.

"It's frustrating in that way, but the infrastructure is old. It needs to be upgraded," said Assistant Chief Michael Dillon, Providence Fire Department

Congested cities face different problems than small towns, but there's a common concern.

"Always worry about lives, because that's the number one issue. Saving lives and protecting property," said Chief Joel Jillson, North Smithfield Fire Department.

In Foster, a problem bridge delayed crews responding to a fire at the 100-year-old Windsor Saw Mill. A Scituate company ran into a three-ton limit while responding.

"They had to back up to find an appropriate turnaround," said Lt. Charles Stockwell, South Foster Fire Department.

A half-mile later, backing up the entire way, Scituate was racing to the mill. There were no injuries, but the fire gutted the building.

"It happens on just about every call that we have to think about the bridges," Stockwell said.

Eyewitness News reporter Walt Buteau rode with North Smithfield as firefighters tested an alternate route around the soon-to-be rebuilt bridge next to Slatersville Mill.

The North Smithfield bridge carries an even heavier problem; the historic connection to the mill, and the stone work makes it even harder to bring up to code.

Shooting up Route 5 and over the bridge to this location normally takes about four minutes. Eyewitness News timed the longer route at nine minutes. Three to five minutes does not sound like a whole lot, but to a trained responder, that often will dictate the success of the mission.

In Providence and other urban areas, extra companies and more firefighters will be added to compensate for lost time.

"The plan is to minimize the impact," said Assistant Chief Michael Dillon, Providence Fire Department.

But in towns like North Smithfield, two stations cover 25 square miles. Mutual aid is available, but as Scituate discovered in the saw mill fire, bad bridges can get in the way.

"The longer the fire is evolving, the longer it takes to put the water on the red stuff, will often dictate the final outcome," said Jillson.

There are no easy or fast fixes in Rhode Island, where budget issues are a part of the problem, and a part of the potential solution.