Feds pledge continued commitment to rebuilding Washington Bridge

Traffic flows along the eastbound Washington Bridge at 1:53 p.m. on Monday June 6, 2024.(Rhode Island Department of Transportation Traffic Camera)

Replacing the shuttered westbound Interstate 195 Washington Bridge has not been forgotten by the federal government, the head of the Federal Highway Administration assured lawmakers Wednesday.

FHWA Administrator Shailen Bhatt made the comments in response to pressure from U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) for federal aid to support the more than $400 million cost for bridge demolition and repair.

“We are a small state — this is a bridge that is really important,” Whitehouse said during a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing. “It’s an important piece of our national infrastructure.”

Bhatt’s response: “I commit to energetically and enthusiastically continue to work to get that bridge replaced.” He did not specify what federal support would look like.

The westbound bridge spanning the Seekonk River has been closed since December, when state officials learned the bridge was at risk of collapse. Gov. Dan McKee’s administration last month pegged the price to demolish and rebuild at more than $400 million. A revised fiscal 2025 spending proposal unveiled by lawmakers on May 31 includes $80 million to cover Rhode Island’s expected 20% share of the cost.

Meanwhile, McKee in April hired a legal team to help build the state’s case against a dozen contractors who previously worked on the Washington Bridge. State Rep. Matthew Dawson, an East Providence Democrat, introduced a bill at the end of May that would extend the timeline for potential lawsuits to 10 years.

AECOM Technical Services, a Dallas engineering firm that took a lead role in the bridge’s previous rehabilitation project, opposes Dawson’s legislation. In a June 6 letter to the Legislature’s House Judiciary Committee, AECOM claimed a new 10-year window could impact insurance premiums for companies that worked on the bridge.

“Retroactively changing the law for a sole project creates the uncertainty that the statute of limitations and repose will change depending on current circumstances,” the testimony stated.

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) has also applied for a $221 million U.S. Department of Transportation National Infrastructure Project Assistance discretionary grant, also known as a Mega Grant, which was created under the federal 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law .

Demolition of the westbound highway is slated to begin this summer and projected to be complete by March 2025. A new bridge is expected to be open in August 2026.

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