Was your business harmed by the Washington Bridge closing? New SBA recovery center opens.
EAST PROVIDENCE – Help is on the way for businesses hurt by last week's emergency closing of the westbound span of the Washington Bridge.
Gov. Dan McKee and other officials on Tuesday morning announced the opening of a U.S. Small Business Administration Recovery Center at the Weaver Memorial Library in East Providence.
How can businesses use the SBA Recovery Center?
Business owners can use the recovery center to find out about loans and other help available from the Small Business Administration.
The loans of up to $2 million have interest rates between 3% and 4%. Businesses that have lost customers because of the bridge's closing can visit the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation website or call (401) 521-HELP.
![Asher Schofield, owner of Frog & Toad in Providence, in his store last Wednesday. He said the store is usually packed in mid-December, but business had been way down since the westbound span of the Washington Bridge closed late Monday. [Wheeler Cowperthwaite/Providence Journal, file]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/6LqfPGjK3u5yEtYTrDZP8w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-providence-journal/90238bc59788ddd79e5e329caa3382df)
More: I-195 bridge closure is affecting businesses. Here's how, and what they are doing about it
Traffic was snarled for much of last week and area businesses suffered losses after the westbound span of the Washington Bridge was unexpectedly closed last Monday out of fear it could collapse. An engineer had discovered that steel pins that keep the span in place had severed. The traffic trouble eased somewhat Friday when two lanes on the eastbound span were opened to westbound traffic.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: SBA Recovery Center opens for businesses hurt by Washington Bridge closing
