PROVIDENCE – Gov. Daniel J. McKee on Thursday said the westbound Washington Bridge will require a full replacement.
Several engineering reports and agency inspections examining the bridge’s condition have been launched since closure of the bridge’s westbound lanes on Dec. 11 after an engineer uncovered a critical failure with the steel anchor rods that hold the major beams in place, original components of the bridge that date back to the 1960s when it first opened. The bridge is part of Interstate 195 running into and out of Providence over the Seekonk River. The westbound bridge span opened in 1968.
Meanwhile, the R.I. Department of Transportation has been ordered by the U.S. Department of Justice and the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation to provide documents dating back to 2015 as part of its investigation into the bridge failure, including previous inspections and payment claims submitted to the federal government.
Jeff Mehle of Colorado-based McNary, Bergeron & Johannesen, a structural engineering firm that specializes in design and construction engineering for bridge projects, said closing the bridge was the right decision. The inspection review found additional structural deficiencies that make a partial replacement untenable.
"There is more wrong with this bridge than just the vertical tie-down rods," Mehle said.
The preliminary cost estimate currently ranges between $250 million and $300 million, according to the MBJ analysis. Demolition is scheduled to begin in July, with the project planned to be completed by September 2026.
Closure of the westbound bridge lanes led to several days of traffic snarls, which were eased, but not eliminated, after a partial reopening of I-195 West on the eastbound side of the bridge on Dec. 15.
McKee said an administration fact-finding mission remains ongoing.
"Accountability will come," he said.
In a joint statement Thursday, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio said, “The closure of the Washington Bridge has caused tremendous disruption to the lives of residents across our state, and particularly those who live and work in the East Bay.
”We will work with our federal delegation to expedite this application for approval under the current administration in Washington,” the legislators 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.”
A bullet-point summary from MBJ said that at least two of the original 12 tie-down rods installed at “Pier 7” had failed, and that if all of the rods had failed at one pier, “the span would have become unstable and collapsed.”
Asked if the R.I. Department of Transportation holds any responsibility for the bridge’s failure, Director Peter Alviti Jr. defended his tenure, saying the department has completed or rebuilt 300 bridges in the state since he took over.
However, Alviti added that “all responsible parties that contributed to any kind of negligence will be held accountable.”
The state will be on the hook for 20% of the replacement cost, while the federal government will cover the rest, although state officials said they continue to pursue additional funding sources, as well as potential legal avenues to recoup losses for any negligence uncovered in the future.
McKee acknowledged that more than half of the current $78 million contract for bridge repairs previously awarded to the joint venture between Barletta Heavy Division Inc. and Aetna Bridge Co. – whom the state has ceased payments to – could be a financial loss.
(UPDATE: Comments from RIDOT Director Peter Alviti Jr. added in paragraphs 13 and 14, additional information on the bridge failure and how much of the replacement cost the state will be responsible for added in paragraphs 12-16, plus minor updates throughout.)
Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com.
