Washington Bridge closure lengthened East Bay ambulance trips, study finds
A retrospective study of Rhode Island emergency medical services records found that ambulance trips from the East Bay took longer after the Washington Bridge westbound span closed, with the largest increase during the bridge’s four-day full shutdown.
For trips originating in East Providence, Barrington, Bristol and Warren, average scene-to-destination time increased from 14.97 minutes before the Dec. 11, 2023, closure to 17 minutes during the four days when the bridge was fully closed to civilian traffic. The average remained elevated at 15.97 minutes during the following six months.
The findings show a measurable transportation consequence for some emergency-care trips. They do not show that the bridge closure caused injuries, deaths or other specific patient harm.
Study examined 125,817 ambulance transports
The research was a retrospective observational analysis of Rhode Island Department of Health 911 EMS records covering Dec. 11, 2023, through Dec. 11, 2024. Researchers compared response-to-scene times, scene-to-destination times and hospital destinations during three periods: the six months before the closure, the four-day full closure and the six months afterward, when traffic operated under a modified configuration.
The statewide dataset included 125,817 ambulance transports. Researchers also examined a 10,346-trip East Bay subgroup consisting of calls originating in East Providence, Barrington, Bristol and Warren.
Statewide, average response-to-scene time increased modestly from 4.64 minutes before the closure to 4.88 minutes afterward. Average scene-to-destination time declined from 10.57 minutes to 10.04 minutes, a difference the study described as unlikely to be clinically significant for most patients. The study found no significant statewide differences during the four-day full-closure period.
East Bay hospital trips changed after the closure
The strongest effects appeared in the East Bay subgroup. Average scene-to-destination time rose to 17 minutes during the four-day full shutdown, compared with 14.97 minutes before the closure. During the next six months, the average was 15.97 minutes.
East Bay response-to-scene times did not change significantly. The measured delay was concentrated in the trip from the emergency scene to the hospital, rather than in the time it took crews to reach patients.
Hospital destination patterns also shifted for some patients. East Bay EMS reduced use of general adult hospitals that required travel over the bridge and increased use of hospitals that could be reached without crossing it.
Destination choices were less flexible for patients needing specialty care. The study found no significant change in transport to specialty hospitals. That result does not establish that specialty-care patients were safely rerouted, nor does it show that changed travel times produced a clinical outcome.
What the study does — and does not — show
The research identifies associations between the bridge disruption and changes in ambulance travel times and hospital destinations. Because it used past records rather than a controlled experiment, it cannot establish causation beyond the observed patterns.
The study did not analyze patient outcomes such as complications, hospital treatment or survival. Its findings should not be read as evidence that every Rhode Island ambulance trip was affected equally. The clearest difference was concentrated among East Bay calls, and the analysis did not include neighboring Massachusetts communities that may also have been affected by the closure.
Replacement bridge remains years away
The Washington Bridge connects Providence and East Providence across the Seekonk River and carries highways including Interstate 195, U.S. Route 6, U.S. Route 44 and U.S. Route 1A.
RIDOT says construction of the new westbound side is underway. The department projects that traffic lanes will open on Nov. 3, 2028, with the project finalized in summer 2029. Those are projected schedule dates, not completed milestones.
RIDOT lists the replacement project’s projected cost at about $427.9 million. The department’s July 1 snapshot report, covering May 23 through June 19, 2026, is part of the monthly reporting required by state law and includes project schedules, traffic information, emergency-vehicle data and costs.
For residents, the practical takeaway is specific: the bridge failure was associated with longer hospital trips for East Bay ambulance transports, especially during the initial full shutdown, while EMS changed destinations for some general emergency cases. The study documents transport effects and destination changes—not documented patient harm—and RIDOT’s replacement schedule still projects all traffic lanes reopening on Nov. 3, 2028.
Key sources
- Impact of Acute, Major Infrastructure Failure on Emergency Medical Service Transport Times in Rhode Island
- Washington Bridge closure lengthened East Bay ambulance trips, study finds
- RIDOT Washington Bridge Rebuild project page
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