Mayor Fung’s Statement regarding the closing of the Park Avenue Bridge

Cranston-Mayor Fung today expressed his concern regarding the timing of the closure of the Park Avenue railroad bridge in Cranston and supports Speaker Nicholas Mattiello’s call for a thorough investigation into circumstances surrounding the timing of its closure.

Mayor Fung is particularly concerned by the fact that only nine months ago, the structure was inspected and deemed passable at that time.  Any connection between the timing of General Assembly action on tolling legislation and the bridge closure would be irresponsible and completely unacceptable.

“In the meantime, Park Avenue remains a primary traffic artery in Cranston and my priority is to the Cranston residents and the numerous surrounding businesses who are severely inconvenienced.” stated Mayor Fung

“Our City is greatly impacted by this sudden closure and I am urging the Governor and RIDOT to work as expediently as possible to repair, including investigating any temporary measures that would allow passenger vehicle traffic to cross in the interim, and then fully re-open this bridge to all traffic as soon as possible.” said Mayor Fung