PROVIDENCE – After receiving no bids for the contract to design and build a replacement for the deteriorated westbound side of the Washington Bridge, the R.I. Department of Transportation is going to take a different approach to finding a contractor to build the key Interstate 195 span.
DOT officials said Tuesday that they are going to release a "request for information" to get feedback from private contractors instead of reissuing another request for proposals, which drew questions from some construction companies but zero proposals.
A request for information will allow the state to get clarifications about designs, costs, timelines and other project conditions. Officials did not specify when the new request would be issued or the deadline for submissions.
Under this new approach, the start date for the bridge rebuild, the final cost as well as any date of completion are unknown, according to state officials. Earlier estimates had projected the cost of rebuilding the bridge would be more than $300 million.
“The market will govern what the cost is,” RIDOT Director Peter Alviti Jr. said Tuesday.
[caption id="attachment_471477" align="alignleft" width="225"]
R.I. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Director Peter Alviti Jr. on Tuesday said the timeline for the eventual replacement of the Washington Bridge will not be determined until the agency receives feedback from the private sector via a "request for information," the release date of which is also unknown. / PBN PHOTO/CHRIS ALLEN[/caption]
As for the reasons for the lack of interest, Alviti said the department purposely crafted the request for proposals in a manner that shifted more of the liability to the contractor while increasing oversight and reporting requirements, a strategy he acknowledged may have played a role in the lack of interest in bidding for the job.
“We asked the bidders to assume more risk than normal,” he said. ”We pushed the envelope beyond what the industry was willing to bear.”
And, according to Alviti, the industry itself is experiencing an overabundance of potential bidding opportunities in both the public and private sectors, suggesting that firms generally have more discretion in which contracts they choose to pursue.
“There is a lot of work that’s out there,” he said.
There is also the high level of media scrutiny in the Washington Bridge debacle, which created a “chilling effect on participation," Alviti said.
“We did not know we would get no responses," he said. "But I think we were overly ambitious regarding the accelerated time frame. We accept that.”
The state has awarded Aetna Bridge Co. a tentative $45.8 million contract to demolish the westbound side of the bridge.
McKee said he has decided to withhold the release of any findings from the ongoing forensic analysis at the suggestion of his legal team, which will "determine who they can hold accountable through the legal process.”
“We are leaving no stone unturned,” the governor said. "We have managed this to the best degree that we can and we are doing everything in our power to address a very difficult issue.”
The December closure has disrupted traffic and businesses as all westbound lanes have been shifted to the bridge’s eastbound side. Asked if anyone has been held to account for past missteps that may have led to the crisis, McKee, who back in March vowed a “day of reckoning” for those responsible for allowing the bridge to deteriorate, declined to comment.
"You should follow your attorney's advice or fire that attorney,” he said.
On Wednesday, McKee’s legal team led by Max Wistow, principal of Wistow, Sheehan & Loveley PC, and Jonathan Savage, a partner at Savage Law Partners LLP, are holding a news briefing on the potential legal remedies available to recoup any financial losses.
McKee said he remains confident in Alviti's leadership and pushed back against any suggestion the crisis may be deterring construction companies from wanting to work with the state.
“This is a normal process in construction," he said.
Despite the aggressive timeline set forth in the request for proposals – which included a August 2026 completion date – Alviti said it was unfeasible to adjust the terms after its release.
"You can’t change the rules of engagement,” he said, declining to speculate on what will happen if no companies respond to the forthcoming RFI.
Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com
