Rhode Island officials should have been aware of the problems that eventually led to the abrupt closure of the westbound Washington Bridge, according to a newly released forensic audit that examines decades of the bridge’s inspection reports. Why didn’t Gov. Dan McKee release the audit report to the public for more than a year?
In an interview with Ocean State Media’s Ian Donnis, McKee said he was listening to advice of the attorneys representing the state in its lawsuit against 13 companies involved in upkeep of the bridge — first private attorneys and then lawyers from the state Attorney General’s office.
The lawyers “made it very clear that they did not want that report made public, because it could impact the integrity of the case that they’re building,” McKee said.
In a one-on-one interview, McKee spoke at length about the Washington Bridge.
Interview highlights:
On why McKee backtracked on releasing the forensic audit
Gov. Dan McKee: It happened because the attorneys that were leading the case, and then leading into the Attorney General’s involvement, made it very clear that they did not want that report made public, because it could impact the integrity of the case that they’re building.
And look, I’m taking advice from our attorneys… It was very strong advice, by the way. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, I think you should or you shouldn’t.’ It was, ‘Don’t do it because it could impact our case.’ And so my job as governor is not to deal with the politics which surface. My job as the governor is to do right by, on behalf of, the people who live in the state of Rhode Island.
On why voters shouldn’t know more details about the state’s Washington Bridge case, which is slated to go to trial in 2027, before voting in the governor’s race in 2026
McKee:
Well, the reason is because we’re trying to recover as much money as we can to support the taxpayers. So the work that I’m doing — I’m proud of the work that we’re doing and transitioning into what we’ve calculated as a legitimate lawsuit. The courts have actually upheld that because (the companies tried) to get that discarded, dismissed, and the court said no. It’s going to take time. The legal process takes time. But in terms of, you know, my opponents in the upcoming election, I’m not going to take advice from them about running our government.
On whether the results of the forensic audit made McKee doubt RIDOT Director Peter Alviti
I’m not going to litigate the case, things that are involved in the case. And clearly, anything that has to do with the state involvement over decades is part of the case.
I’m going to repeat: I’m not going to take advice from the people who are, you know, pushing hard on that to actually lead into) how to run the government. I hold everybody accountable for the work that’s getting done during the time that I’ve been here. Our infrastructure has improved significantly. Every blue bridge is a new bridge. And so when people travel, I want them to see that — that we’ve moved up seven spots on national infrastructure. So we know work is getting done.
