More than 10 months after the abrupt emergency closing of the westbound Washington Bridge, state officials unveiled on Tuesday a revised process for picking a firm to build a new bridge.
Rhode Island transportation officials issued a request for qualifications for companies interested in building the new westbound bridge, and plan to choose two finalists from those applicants in December.
During a Statehouse news conference, state Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti said the two-step process will result in a highly qualified company and the best design, price and schedule for completing the new span.
“We expect to have the two most-qualified companies selected in December through the qualifications process,” Alviti said. “And a final company selected by June [2025], with a notice to proceed to work by July.”
The finalist that is not selected will receive a $1.75 million “stipend” for costs associated with creating its proposal. After a previous RFP failed to attract any bids, the governor’s office said it learned that companies are often discouraged from making such bids due to the expense.
Gov. Dan McKee conceded that the previous RFP process could have been better, and said he recognizes that businesses and motorists are still dealing with the impact of closing the westbound bridge last December.
McKee declined to estimate when a new bridge might open. Previous plans called for a new bridge by the fall of 2026, which now appears unlikely.
Demolition of the old bridge resumed this week after a delay related to preserving evidence for ongoing litigation. The state is suing 13 companies over the structure’s failure.
The governor said demolition of the substructure of the bridge has been moved up to February and added to an existing demolition contract.
“My priority is to make sure we’re doing everything we can to get a new bridge built as soon as we can — all while keeping Rhode Islanders safe,” McKee said. “We know that ensuring this complex project is done right will take time, but it is encouraging to see demolition resuming and the new procurement for the rebuild moving forward.”
McKee criticized the state Department of Transportation’s handling of a virtual meeting about the bridge last week. The session lasted less than 10 minutes and did not provide for the public to ask questions.
Officials plan another community meeting for 6 pm on Thursday, Oct. 17.
