More than 10 months after the abrupt emergency closing of the westbound Washington Bridge, Rhode Island state officials on Oct. 15 unveiled a revised process for picking a firm to build a new bridge.
Rhode Island transportation officials issued a request for qualifications for companies interested in building the new westbound bridge, and plan to choose two finalists from those applicants in December.
During a Statehouse news conference, state Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti said the two-step process would result in a highly qualified company and the best design, price and schedule for completing the new span.
“We expect to have the two most qualified companies selected in December through the qualifications process,” Alviti said. “And a final company selected by June (2025), with a notice to proceed to work by July.”
The finalist who is not selected will receive a $1.75 million “stipend” for costs associated with creating its proposal. After a previous RFP failed to attract any bids, the governor’s office said it learned that companies are often discouraged from making such bids due to the expense.
Gov. Dan McKee conceded that the previous RFP process could have been better, and said he recognizes that businesses and motorists are still dealing with the impact of closing the westbound bridge last December.
McKee declined to estimate when a new bridge might open. Previous plans called for a new bridge by the fall of 2026, which now appears unlikely.
This story was reported by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.
