The R.I. Department of Transportation on July 3 said the state did not receive any bids by that day’s deadline for a $300 million-plus project to replace the Washington Bridge’s westbound side. Transportation officials did not say whether the lack of bids would put the project’s 2026 completion timeline in jeopardy.
The agency did say it would investigate potential contractor concerns and could make adjustments in the request for proposals before rebidding the project.
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The abrupt December closure of the bridge’s westbound side, which connects Interstate 195 from Rhode Island’s East Bay to Providence, has disrupted traffic and businesses. In March, the state announced that the westbound side needed to be replaced, with Gov. Daniel J. McKee proclaiming that a “day of reckoning” will come to hold those responsible for allowing the bridge to deteriorate to the point of near failure.
That “day of reckoning” has not yet arrived.
All lanes of traffic have been shifted to the bridge’s eastbound side.
The state has awarded Aetna Bridge Co. a tentative $45.8 million contract to demolish the westbound side of the bridge.
