PROVIDENCE — After a failed attempt to get a contractor for the massive reconstruction of the Washington Bridge on Interstate 195 West, state officials are asking companies to weigh in on why they didn’t bid.
The R.I. Department of Transportation issued a “request for information,” or RFI on Friday, asking companies a series of questions about the bridge rebuild, including whether they were aware of the opportunity to bid on the project and whether the timeline was appropriate. The solicitation also asks if the design-build method, where one contractor both designs and builds the new bridge, is the most appropriate method, or if another might be more suitable.
The bridge was shuttered in December due to a “critical failure,” and state officials later determined it needed to be rebuilt.
The state has had to go back to the drawing board on the reconstruction of the major highway bridge after no companies bid on the project, which would have started the design phase next month. Governor Dan McKee had aimed to get the bridge built before September 2026, and the solicitation even offered millions of dollars in incentives for the contractor to finish building the bridge by August 2026.
But there were also penalties for finishing late.
At a news conference after the failed bid process, DOT Director Peter Alviti acknowledged: “We pushed the envelope apparently beyond what the construction industry is willing to bear. We accept that.”
State officials repeatedly declined to say how long this could delay reconstruction of the bridge. It’s also unclear how much the bridge reconstruction could cost; the original estimate was more than $400 million for both the demolition and the rebuild. That information is expected to become more clear after the new RFI process.
Among the questions being asked: “Was the time provided in the RFP for construction completion a significant consideration in your decision not to bid? Please explain.”
It also asks: “Were any items included within the scope of work or base technical concept for the project considered to be too high risk?” Plus, “Did you consider any aspects of the substructure to be too high risk?”
Firms who want to weigh in must submit responses by Aug. 2 at noon. The state plans to use the responses to craft a new solicitation for bidders to construct the bridge. It’s not immediately clear when that new process will start.
The responses could be flowing in around the same time Rhode Island is potentially going to file a lawsuit against entities that are responsible for the bridge failure. Attorney Max Wistow, one of the lawyers hired by the state, said last week that it was highly likely that a suit will be filed, and if so it could happen in early August.
A dozen companies were sent letters warning them about the lawsuit, though the letter said the companies were not yet considered defendants.
State officials have also not released any information about what caused the bridge to fail, though McKee has promised a “day of reckoning” will come.
Meanwhile, the $46 million bridge demolition project has begun, with company Aetna Bridge beginning design work this week. The company — which originally built the bridge in the 1960s — is expected to actually demolish the bridge in September, though some work on the site will start this summer.
Asked last week if he was comfortable demolishing the bridge before having a plan in place to rebuild it, McKee told the Globe: “Yes.”
See more coverage of the Washington Bridge closure.
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Steph Machado can be reached at steph.machado@globe.com. Follow her @StephMachado.