McKee announces new proposal request for Washington Bridge rebuild

Gino DeAngelis, Kaitlin Gehlhaus,

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Gov. Dan McKee announced that a new initial Request for Proposals for the Washington Bridge Replacement Project was made live Wednesday.

Bidders can now submit proposals to rebuild the westbound side of the bridge, with the final RFP being issued on Jan. 24, 2024.

The proposals will be issued to the two design-build teams previously chosen by the state.

“We have two finalists that will be working with us over the next six months to create proposals for the scope, cost, and timeline for the new bridge,” McKee said.

McKee said the new request includes a stipend adjustment from $500,000 to $1.75 million, additional opportunities for communication between bidders and the state, a modified completion date based upon the bidding process outcome, and responsibility for the bridge’s substructure demolition moved to the current demolition contractor.

The RFP also requires five lanes carried over the bridge and constructing a new on-ramp to I-195 West from Gano Street and an off-ramp from I-195 West to Waterfront Drive.

“From now until the end of January we will confer with the companies on the contents of the RFP to make sure all entities, us and the two companies, understand precisely how we’re going to determine who the winning competitor is,” RIDOT Director Peter Alviti said.

There are also incentives up to a maximum of $10 million based on per-day rates – ranging from $5,000 per day to $70,000 per day – for opening lanes to traffic in advance of the substantial completion date.

The governor also laid out the following schedule for the process:

  • Dec. 18, 2024: Issuance of the initial RFP
  • Jan. 24, 2025: Issuance of the final RFP
  • Late January 2025 – Early April 2025: Review of alternative technical concepts from each design-build team.
  • May 16, 2025: Technical proposals due
  • May 30, 2025: Price proposals due
  • June 6, 2025: Tentative award
  • July 15, 2025: Notice to proceed given to begin work

“Rhode Island remains committed to building a new Washington Bridge that has a state-of-the-art design, improves traffic flow and, most importantly, is built in a way where we can easily and comprehensively monitor its health over its long lifespan,” McKee said.

Proposals can be submitted here.

Categories: News, Rhode Island

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