Residents throughout the state received an emergency alert just nine minutes before 5 p.m. on Monday- rush hour- alerting residents to the closure of I-195 westbound due to structural issues with the Washington Bridge, which lifts the highway over the Seekonk River.

While Warwick has seen less gridlock than other areas of the state, there have still been significant effects in the area due to the lack of detours further south of the bridge.

Among the places affected is Bishop Hendricken High School. The private Catholic all-boys school includes 36 students and additional faculty from affected communities now left without many options to reach the West Bay easily.

Bishop Hendricken Director of Communications, Marketing & Admissions Christian Kabbas said that students in East Bay communities, as well as Tiverton and Seekonk and Rehoboth, Mass., will be able to use the school’s bus service free of charge. Normally, those wishing to utilize the bus service pay annually.

“We will reassess and make adjustments as needed,” Kabbas said. “Anything is on the table, including bumping up pick-up times at the depot stops to compensate for traffic.”

The earliest pickup for students is scheduled for 5:57 a.m. on Gooding Avenue in Bristol. The final stop, at Slater Memorial Park in Pawtucket, is scheduled for 6:48 a.m. Those times are unchanged from what they normally are, according to Kabbas, though the bus added an additional stop in Barrington.

The bus managed to make it to school just after 8 a.m. on Tuesday, and arrived on time for classes on Wednesday at 7:45.

“I give all credit to our experienced bus driver,” Kabbas said. “She has developed a route and a path that really works and will get our guys here on time.”

Kabbas also said that students from the East Bay will not be penalized for missing class time should the bus be late.

Bishop Hendricken’s East Providence-based sister school, St. Mary Academy- Bay View, chose to start their winter break early as a result of the bridge closure. Bishop Hendricken’s final day of classes before their break begins is on Dec. 19.

While Kabbas hopes the current gridlock is resolved by the time Bishop Hendricken’s Christmas break ends, he thanked the affected families for their patience and cooperation through the delays.