The state of Rhode Island plans to demolish and completely rebuild the westbound side of the Washington Bridge, a project officials expect to take two years or more.
“We will be replacing the bridge,” Gov. Dan McKee said at a news conference Thursday.
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation closed the westbound span, which carries I-195 from East Providence, suddenly in December citing “a critical failure of some bridge components.”
A review by a Connecticut-based engineering firm presented by state officials to the public on Thursday recommends demolishing and replacing the westbound bridge. The firm suggests the new bridge could open between March and September of 2026.
The engineering firm McNary, Bergeron & Johannsen says initial cost estimates peg the price of the project at $250 million to $300 million.
Rhode Island House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick Ruggiero emphasized in a joint statement that the cost estimates are just that — estimates.
“We will work with our federal delegation to expedite this application for approval under the current Administration in Washington,” they said. “We caution that the costs cited today are only estimates, and as we have seen in so many projects, construction costs have often exceeded original estimates.”
The bridge closure and the additional measures taken by the state to open westbound lanes on the eastbound portion of the bridge have resulted in long delays and backups on I-195 and I-95. East Providence, which directly abuts the bridge closure, has particularly felt the headaches.
When RIDOT closed the bridge in December, RIDOT director Peter Alviti said repairing the bridge would take “at least three months.” But in January state officials said preliminary engineering work found additional issues and they were contemplating their options, including a full rebuild.
McKee said eight engineering firms hired by the state agreed that replacing the westbound bridge is the best course of action, due to the severity of problems, and that closing it in December was the right thing to do.
The governor, who downplayed the effect of longer travel times for motorists earlier in the crisis, struck a different note during a news conference at a state building, saying that he understood the frustration of drivers and small businesses affected by the situation.
While it’s unclear for now how the bridge got into such bad shape amid a statewide infrastructure improvement plan launched in 2016 by his predecessor, Gina Raimondo, McKee vowed to get answers.
“I am deeply disturbed by the additional findings related to this project,” McKee said, adding that work on the westbound bridge began in 2018, before he was governor. “We will hold anyone responsible, all responsible parties, fully accountable. The day of accountability is coming, and it’s coming soon.”
McKee said lawyers are conducting a fact-finding review, calling it “a complex situation with a lot of legal ramifications.”
Federal officials are also reviewing the situation.
An expansion of the number of lanes in both directions on the eastbound Washington Bridge, from two to three, is expected to be completed next month, in an attempt to reduce traffic congestion.
McKee said he continues to support Peter Alviti, director of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, who has been in that job since 2015.
Asked by a reporter why Rhode Islanders should still have faith in his leadership, Alviti said RIDOT has built nearly 300 bridges over the last seven years and reduced from 27% to 14% the number of structurally deficient bridges in the state. Alviti called that a “demonstration of capacity and effectiveness.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated.