Aetna Bridge Co. has officially been given the green light to proceed with the demolition of the condemned Washington Bridge.
The Warwick-based company was tentatively selected for the project by the McKee Administration last month over a bid from rival Manafort Brothers.
The contract is valued at $45,777,000.00
According to their bid, Aetna estimates completing the demolition by Jan. 29, 2025.
Aetna has worked on bridge projects across the state and was part of the Barletta-Aetna team given the emergency contract when the Washington Bridge was first shut-down in December.
In a statement to NBC10 earlier this month, a spokesperson for the company said, “Aetna Bridge Company is proud to be identified as the “apparent best value respondent” by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation on the demolition of the Washington Bridge. With over 79 years of experience in bridge construction, repair, and demolition, our team is ready to get to work on this critical transportation infrastructure project for the State of Rhode Island.”
There’s no word yet on when the demolition work will begin.
At a press conference last week, RIDOT Director Peter Alviti said work could start as early as July 17.
There is no timeline for rebuilding the bridge after the state failed to secure any bids for the reconstruction project.