Dear readers,
Often, the best journalism isn’t born out of an idea formed in an editorial meeting. It comes from the people in our community who are closest to the story. It comes from you, your neighbors, your fellow Rhode Islanders. That’s why we reached out to you at the beginning of our project, Breaking Point: The Washington Bridge. We want to hear your stories. We want to know what questions you have about how we came so close to a disaster in December 2023.
Dozens of you have responded to our outreach, and this weekend we begin tackling your questions on The Public’s Radio and Rhode Island PBS.
In “The Weekly Catch” today, reporter Michelle San Miguel tackles the most commonly asked question: Who’s accountable for the broken bridge?
On Sunday at 7:30 p.m., “Rhode Island PBS Weekly” has a special show on the Washington Bridge, featuring an in-depth report by Michelle on the questions that we will be exploring in the months ahead as we try – with you – to understand what happened and how vulnerable other bridges in Rhode Island might be.
Just this week, for example, the National Transportation Safety Board issued a warning that dozens of bridges, including Rhode Island’s Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge, could be at risk of collapse if a collision like the tragic accident at the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland last year were to occur.
Sunday’s show also features an in-depth interview by our political reporter Ian Donnis with state Attorney General Peter Neronha. And we’ll hear from former state Attorney General Arlene Violet on the Washington Bridge’s troubling history and ultimate failure.
Keep your ideas coming, and please share our project with your friends and neighbors. Tell us your questions and stories here.
Thank you all for your continued support of this important community project.
