The westbound Washington Bridge that carries I-195 is expected to be rebuilt by November 2028, Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee said Friday, setting a target for a return to normalcy for Rhode Island drivers.
McKee identified Chicago-based Walsh Construction as the firm that will complete the new span — at a cost of up to $427 million.
During a Q&A with reporters at the Statehouse, McKee was asked if he bears accountability for why the cost, combined with demolition expenses, is about twice what he estimated in 2024, and the timeline for completion about twice as long.
McKee said things sometimes take longer than expected.
“As far as I’m concerned, we’re in a good spot,” he said. “The people in the state of Rhode Island know that the funding is there, the time schedule is there, and we have a quality bridge-builder to actually execute on the project.”
If the new westbound bridge is completed on schedule, it will come into service almost five years after the bridge was closed on an emergency basis due to structural flaws in December 2023.
McKee initially predicted the bridge would be completed by around the time of next year’s race for governor, with the primary in September and the general election in November.
The emergency closing snarled traffic for months and hurt businesses, especially in Providence and East Providence. The worst effects of the closing were blunted by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation’s success in putting three westbound lanes into service on the eastbound Washington Bridge, although traffic still backs up especially during rush hour.
Last August, the state sued 13 companies involved in work on the shuttered bridge, and has largely been tight-lipped about the problems that caused the closure. In May, an investigation by The Public’s Radio and Rhode Island PBS found that RIDOT may have missed critical signs that could have warned of the bridge’s deteriorating condition years before it was forced to close the bridge.
State officials said $713.2 million in contingency funds has been budgeted for the new bridge. That includes up to $334.6 million in borrowing against future federal transportation funds; $220.9 million in new federal MEGA/INFRA grants; $107.6 million from the state’s capital fund; $15 million in a repurposed federal BUILD grant, and $35 million in remaining pandemic aid.
McKee called Walsh Construction one of the top bridge builders in the country.
State officials said the hard construction cost for the new westbound Washington Bridge is $339 and that added expenses for inspections and incentives and contingencies could push the amount as high as $427 million. They said the state has planned up to $10 million in incentives for early completion of work and penalties of $25,000 if the project takes longer than planned.
“Our goal was to provide a design and a plan to build a bridge that will carry 80,000 vehicles safely every day for 100 years,” said RIDOT director Peter Alviti. “This contract achieves that goal. It includes a reasonable schedule and a reasonable budget.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
