McKee, RIDOT: New Washington Bridge to cost up to $427 million, to be complete by Nov. 2028

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The construction of the new Washington Bridge will cost $339 million with no additional cost to taxpayers and the new bridge will be completed by November of 2028, according to Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee and RIDOT Director Peter Alviti.

In a Friday press conference, McKee announced the project price tag, which could reach $427 million with contingencies, along with the contractor that will undertake the construction.

Walsh Construction Company of Chicago, Illinois is the contractor that was awarded the bid, and their work is expected to begin in July.

To keep the construction on schedule, there will be incentives of up to $10 million for opening lanes to traffic ahead of schedule.

This potential figure is already built into the the budget, according to the presentation.

Additionally, there will be penalties of up to $25,000 per day for exceeding the construction timeline.

The westbound lanes of the bridge were closed on December 11, 2023.

Rhode Island Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti said at the time:

In the process of reconstructing the Washington Bridge, our consultants found urgent safety issues that could cause a critical deficiency on this side of the bridge. We are closing the westbound side until we can make it completely safe.

The closure resulted in commuter and business turmoil in the following months, with small operations struggling with relief processes from the government.

Some local businesses even closed outright from what they say was the bridge choking off access to their doors, among other factors.

McKee promised “a day of reckoning” in response to the bridge’s issues, and the state ultimately filed a lawsuit against 13 companies involved in its construction, design and inspection over the years.