PROVIDENCE — Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg promised the federal government would do all it could to help assist and expedite the process of replacing the westbound side of the Washington Bridge after he and other elected officials toured the dilapidated span Tuesday morning, March 19.

Speaking to the gathered media, Buttigieg said it was fortunate inspectors found the deteriorating support structures on the 56-year-old portion of the bridge  before a catastrophe occurred on the major artery connecting the East Bay with the rest of the state via Interstate 195 to I-95.

"We're going to be working closely with RIDOT (Rhode Island Department of Transportation) every step of the way," Buttigieg said, adding the Federal Highway Department will offer technical support while the administration of President Joe Biden and Congress will help the state financially as well.

In December of last year Governor Dan McKee made the decision to shut down the westbound side of the bridge for safety concerns and late last week he along with RIDOT Director Peter Alviti, upon the advice of numerous consultants, informed residents the span would have to be completely rebuilt at an estimated current cost of between $250-$300 million.

They also said the initial expectation to demolish and replace the structure would take approximately two years to finish or by the summer of 2026.

"We've been paying attention to this situation since Day 1. We know how important it is to residents of the state," said Buttigieg, who termed the 2026 completion date as "aggressive," though necessary.

The secretary said his department and the Biden Administration would do all it could to "make sure this is a quick process" and that any "red tape would not get in the way" of rebuilding the structure.

He said the federal response would be akin to what it was for similar structural issues with Interstates 10 and 95 in California and Pennsylvania, respectively, clearing any "bureaucratic hurdles" that could hinder efforts.

Buttigieg called the cantilever construction method used to build the westbound Washington Bridge side in the late 1960s "unique," going so far as to add it may be the only one of its vintage in the entire country.

Buttigieg disagreed with the assertion in a question the vast amount spent on the bridge since 2018, approximately $40 million, was a waste, He said the deficiencies forcing the need to rebuild the bridge were discovered during inspections as part of the construction rather than after a likely "collapse."

He added any existing funding left over from recent work on the bridge would be "repurposed" and augmented by additional monies over the next few years.

The secretary said he expects "good engineering methods and policies" to be employed going forward, like that of creating a third lane in each direction on the eastbound side of the bridge.

The federal government, he continued, would provide all the assistance it could "to safely and responsibly accelerate the process" of replacing the span.

More than once, Buttigieg said he and the Biden Administration have been informed either directly by local constituents or elected officials about the negative results the forced closure has had on Rhode Islanders to date.

"I'm hearing stories that are going right to my heart," he said, referring to those of small businesses losing customers or families potentially changing where their children go to school because of the crisis.

"We recognize the impact this has had on residents," Buttigieg added. "We're not going to rest until we've done everything we can to get this back to normal."