In the months following the closure of the westbound side of the Washington Bridge, East Bay fire departments relied more heavily on emergency rooms at hospitals outside of Providence in an effort to avoid traffic jams and increased travel times.
Bristol Fire Chief Michael DeMello said before the bridge closed abruptly in December, roughly 65% of his department’s rescue runs went to Providence-area hospitals, including the level one trauma center at R.I. Hospital.
After the bridge shuttered and traffic became squeezed down to two lanes, the run rate fell to about 50%, he said.
“You’re stuck in that traffic just like everyone else,” DeMello said. “There’s definitely been a little bit more of a tendency to transport south and east as opposed to north and west.”