New plans to handle the structurally unsafe Washington Bridge in Rhode Island that has been partially closed since December have been revealed following delays.
Crews began demolishing the shoring towers on the eastern side of the bridge October 15. Demolition of the substructure will now be delayed until February and be part of the demolition contract instead of the upcoming reconstruction project. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation said this change “removes a level of uncertainty for potential reconstruction bidders, helping ensure the new procurement attracts qualified bids.” A previous bidding process failed due to lack of bidders.
The state has also opened a two-step procurement for the reconstruction project, beginning with a request for qualifications, which asks interested bidders to submit key criteria such as experience and qualifications of key staff. The list of bidders will be whittled down to a shortlist of two qualified companies, to be announced December 11.
To encourage participation, RIDOT is offering a $1.75 million stipend to the unsuccessful shortlisted company to help cover the costs associated with crafting their proposal.
The westbound Washington Bridge on I-195 has been closed since December 2023 due to safety concerns discovered during reconstruction, including deep spall with exposed vertical and horizontal rebar and debounded rebar in several places. At the time, the total cost for the reconstruction project was $78 million. In March, it was confirmed the bridge could not be repaired and required replacement.
RIDOT has received $221 million in federal funding to cover part of the $368.3 million total project cost for the replacing the Washington Bridge.
RIDOT said that, following the closure of the bridge lanes – which had carried 90,000 vehicles per day – “traffic delays have compounded every aspect of travel in this part of the state and greatly impacted others.” Preliminary data from RIDOT shows that crashes on I-95 rose 143% in the months following the December closure.
The Washington Bridge connects the Providence Metropolitan area to Massachusetts over the Seekonk River, features 10 lanes and spans over 1,600 feet. The original bridge, built in 1930, was altered in 1968 and replaced by the partially closed twin-span bridge, which connects to several major highways nearby including I-95, I-295, US-6, RI-10, and RI-146.
