Atmosphere CBD Cafe owner Rob Baptista sits outside his former shop on Taunton Avenue in East Providence .
corner of Wayland Avenue and Waterman Street in Providence , has declined by 30 percent , with weekday nights being especially slow .
“ Being right here in Wayland Square , we rely heavily on people coming across the bridge ,” says Brendan Moran , the restaurant ’ s director of operations . “ They would jump right off at Gano Street coming from the East Bay , or over the Red Bridge . But people from the East Bay don ’ t want to even come to Providence at this point , just because of what traffic has become . And now the Gano Street exit ’ s closed , so they can ’ t even get off there anymore .”
Mayor Brett Smiley sees two categories of businesses , post-bridge , in Providence . The first are the Wayland Square merchants subject to the detour issues . Anytime there ’ s an accident on the Washington Bridge , motorists divert over the Henderson Bridge , he says , clogging what was a “ very walkable , pedestrianfriendly ” commercial district .
The other businesses are suffering from the reputation that the city is hard to get to , which isn ’ t the case , he says .
“ There ’ s no detour traffic that impacted Federal Hill ,” he says . “ And yet , there are still dinner patrons that have this idea that it ’ s impossible to get to Providence so they shouldn ’ t bother going to dinner on Federal Hill . And that ’ s true of many businesses throughout the city .”
Across the bay , the staff at Rhody Roots in Warren was hit hard during the pandemic , pivoting and completely flipping their concept to keep the restaurant going . They were just starting to see an uptick in sales when the bridge closed .
“ We ’ re definitely down ,” says Brimmer , whose restaurant also serves as a Frog & Toad pick-up point for East Bay residents who don ’ t want to pick up their purchases in Providence . “ There ’ s been way less Providence traffic , but when people do come here , they let us know they crossed the bridge . They say , ‘ We crossed the bridge for you . That ’ s how much we love you .’”
A MEASURE OF RELIEF
TO HELP EASE CONGESTION , RIDOT crews expanded the eastbound span of the bridge to three lanes on April 10 . They also added another lane , for a total of three , on the westbound side , in late April .
In Providence , the City Council approved a fifteenton weight limit on several East Side roads , including Angell , Waterman and Gano streets , in early April . The move will discourage heavy trucks from using the roads to bypass Washington Bridge traffic .
Smiley suggested relocating South Water Street ’ s bike lanes to add an extra lane for cars , an idea met with heavy pushback from the public and the City Council , which passed a resolution in April opposing the measure . The mayor will hold public hearings throughout the summer to get feedback on the plan .
On April 3 , the same day that the House Small Business Committee heard testimony from affected business owners , McKee and Rhode Island Commerce announced a funding strategy to help small businesses .
McKee will redirect up to $ 400,000 in hotel tax revenue for a marketing campaign encouraging people to buy and dine locally in the areas most affected by the bridge . RI Commerce will propose a strategy to offer $ 300,000 in direct grants to small businesses and $ 800,000 for technical assistance and special events .
McKee also filed a $ 1.3 million amendment to the 2025 fiscal budget . If approved , $ 600,000 would go to affected businesses in East Providence in the form of grants and other assistance , and $ 400,000 would go to Providence . The remaining $ 300,000 would benefit businesses outside those cities .
RI Commerce will also make up to $ 1 million available to add signs , beautification projects and infrastructure improvements in affected areas through the Main Streets RI Streetscape Improvement Fund . Separately , the Rhode Island Hospitality
76 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JUNE 2024