State of Rhode Island Sues 13 Companies Over Washington Bridge

The lawsuit announced Aug. 16 alleges breach of contract, fiduciary duty and negligence

Gov. Dan McKee had pledged to deliver a day of accountability — and he said that moment has come.
Gov. Dan McKee had pledged to deliver a day of accountability — and he said that moment has come.
Ian Donnis/The Public’s Radio
Share
Gov. Dan McKee had pledged to deliver a day of accountability — and he said that moment has come.
Gov. Dan McKee had pledged to deliver a day of accountability — and he said that moment has come.
Ian Donnis/The Public’s Radio
State of Rhode Island Sues 13 Companies Over Washington Bridge
Copy

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha announced on Aug. 16 that the state is suing 13 companies that worked on the Washington Bridge. The suit was filed in an effort “to hold accountable those companies responsible for the near-miss catastrophic closure of the bridge and to recover the significant resources required to rebuild the bridge and compensate the state.”

Neronha said in a statement that a complaint in Providence Superior Court alleges that the companies failed in a timely way to adequately identify worsening structural issues that led to the emergency closing of the bridge in December 2023. The lawsuit includes claims of breach of contract, fiduciary duty and negligence, with claims varying against the defendants.

The companies named in the lawsuit are AECOM Technical Services, Inc.; Aetna Bridge Company; Aries Support Services, Inc.; Barletta Heavy Division, Inc.; Barletta/Aetna I-195 Washington Bridge North Phase 2 JV; Collins Engineers, Inc.; Commonwealth Engineers Consultants, Inc.; Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.; Michael Baker International, Inc.; Prime AE Group, Inc.; Steere Engineering, Inc.; Transystems Corporation; and Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.

This story was reported by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.

Falling concrete from Route 10 connector shuts down rail traffic; officials say seven similar structures exist across Rhode Island
Tree canopy gaps mirror income divides in Newport, as conservationists race to restore native trees and lost federal funding threatens efforts to expand “tree equity” in the city’s North End
The closure of Spectrum-India after 59 years adds to the steady loss of small businesses in Providence neighborhood
The incident brought America’s commonplace gun violence just feet away from a room full of lawmakers, top officials, and journalists. It also may add to a string of troubling political violence in the U.S. that includes two assassination attempts on President Trump.
President Trump and the first lady are uninjured after a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday in Washington, D.C.
Three polls offer a warning sign for Gov. McKee