This is a picture of traffic on the Washington Bridge. (WLNE)
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Governor Dan McKee is set to hold his first meeting on the Washington Bridge since the bid for the westbound side’s reconstruction came up empty.
After months of waiting for updates on the demolition and reconstruction of the westbound portion of the bridge, the state received mixed news last month.
The demolition bid came back with two options, Governor Dan McKee and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation announced that Warwick-based Aetna Bridge Co. would win the bid at just over $46 million dollars.
That bid well above the $30 million dollar estimation given back in March.
But when it comes to the reconstruction after that, no bids were submitted.
In a statement from RIDOT, a spokesperson told us an aggressive timeline was initially chosen for the demolition to try and rebuild the bridge as soon as possible.
Now the administration will need to re-plan their proposal, possibly changing the $300 million dollar estimate for reconstruction with a hopeful deadline of 2026.
McKee is set to hold a media availability this afternoon around 3:30 p.m., his first talk about the bridge since the reconstruction bids closed.
We’ll be looking to see what this delay is going to mean for the project.