‘We pushed the envelope beyond what the construction industry apparently was willing to bare,’ Rhode Island Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti Jr. said Tuesday, July 9, at a press conference to address the the state’s unsuccessful Request for Proposals to replace the Washington Bridge. The closed westbound bridge is shown on Tuesday, July 9, at 3:48 p.m. (Rhode Island Department of Transportation Traffic Camera)
The request for proposals to replace the western Washington Bridge struck out. Next up at bat: a request for information.
Rhode Island Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti Jr. said Tuesday the state set the bar too high in its accelerated push to solicit bids to replace the badly deteriorated bridge connecting East Providence and Providence via I-195. The westbound portion of the bridge was closed abruptly last December.
R.I. transportation officials go back to drawing board after no bids to replace Washington Bridge
The state had set a completion date of August 2026 in its request for proposals with $10 million in incentives based on per-day rates ranging between $5,000 to $7,000 to get the job done as quickly as possible. Potential contractors faced daily penalties of $30,000 for exceeding the completion date.
Instead, the state will issue a new solicitation seeking feedback from companies about the initial request for proposals to replace the bridge that drew zero responses by the July 3 deadline. The new request would be issued “go out as soon as possible,” Alviti told reporters at a press conference at the Department of Administration.
“We pushed the envelope beyond apparently what the construction industry is willing to bear,” Alviti said. “We accept that, but we’re not going to be discouraged. We’re moving forward with plans, to readjust and move forward to continue to help commuters get the new bridge that they need and to get them back to life as normal.”
Gov. Dan McKee has hired an independent legal team to review the work on the western Washington Bridge that happened prior to the emergency closure of the bridge on Dec. 11, 2023, when engineers discovered that it was at risk of collapse. But McKee deferred to the legal team, Wistow, Sheehan & Lovely, to comment on any steps the state plans to take to hold any firm or individual accountable for its poor condition.
McKee said he asked representatives from the firm to make themselves available to the news media. A press conference was scheduled for Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at the firm’s downtown Providence office.
“We’re going to build a bridge that’s going to outlast our lifetime,” McKee said. “Let the chips fall where they may.”
Tuesday’s press conference was originally scheduled to take place at the State House but was moved to state offices across the street because of uncomfortable conditions during a period of very hot, humid weather.
This story will be updated.
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