Breaking Point: The Washington Bridge

How a near-catastrophe on the Washington Bridge will affect Rhode Islanders for years to come.

Play Clip

A letter from our editor

In December of 2023, the state narrowly averted disaster when it abruptly closed the westbound Washington Bridge after warnings of serious structural deficiencies. Since then, we have all been living with the aftermath, in lost travel time, tourism dollars and a diminution of our daily quality of life. Some of us have found creative workarounds. We have adapted as we do, when the unexpected comes our way. Still, the road ahead is going to be a long, bumpy ride, as the work begins to rebuild the broken bridge.

We invite you to join Rhode Island PBS and The Public’s Radio as we embark on an ambitious community-centered project, Breaking Point: The Washington Bridge.

We want to tell your stories, about how you are affected by the bridge and adjusting to it in your daily lives. We will also be asking tough questions: How did we come so close to a potential human calamity? What do the underlying structural problems tell us about how well we maintain our vital bridges? In 2015, Rhode Island ranked dead last in the country in the soundness of our bridges. How much progress have we made to get better? Could this near-disaster lead to a better future for our transit system?

Help us answer those questions. Help us find solutions together. We’ll be sharing your stories and our reports on Rhode Island PBS, The Public’s Radio and our digital platforms, and I hope you’ll join us in a journalism project that will be better, deeper and more meaningful with your participation.

Most sincerely,

AN UPDATE FROM OUR EDITOR

BREAKING IT DOWN

Events over the last two years that have had an impact on the community

December 8, 2023 | Something’s Amiss

An engineer from VHB, an engineering firm that does design work on bridges for RIDOT, emails the agency at 1:40 p.m. He says his team has noticed a “critical finding” on the bridge: anchor rods securing concrete spans of the bridge have failed.

One hour later, RIDOT Managing Engineer Keith Gaulin responds to a group email chain. He says he has spoken to the VHB engineer and they agree “there are no immediate actions to be taken right at this moment as we try to determine other short and long-term solutions.”

December 11, 2023 | Bridge Closure

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation made an emergency announcement on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023: It was closing the westbound side of the Washington Bridge, which carries I-195 between East Providence and Providence.

“The initial closure will last 2-3 weeks”, the agency said. Full repair will take “at least three months”.

December 15, 2023 | Partial Lane Reopening

RIDOT opens two westbound lanes of traffic on the (open) eastbound span.

January 29, 2024 | Investigation Begins

The U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island announces that the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Office of Inspector General are seeking documents and records related to the sudden closing of the Washington Bridge.

March 14, 2024 | No Going Back

RIDOT announces that the shuttered bridge cannot be repaired; it must be demolished and completely rebuilt. A study by VN Engineers documents a number of deficiencies, including the failure of multiple tie-down rods at Pier 6 and 7, and exposed, corroded concrete and rebar assemblies that support the cantilever structure.

A study by Connecticut engineering firm McNary, Bergeron & Johannsen estimates the demolition and replacement will cost $250 million-$300 million and could be completed by October 2026.

April 30, 2024 | State Solicits Bids to Rebuild

The state issues an RFP for companies interested in building a new westbound bridge. Proposals are due July 3. Ultimately, zero companies will submit a bid.

August 16, 2024 | Lawsuits Filed

RI Attorney General Peter Neronha announces that the state is suing 13 companies that worked on the Washington Bridge.

September 20, 2024 | Federal Funding Awarded

RI’s federal politicians announce $125.4 million in federal funding for Rhode Island to help replace the Washington Bridge. This comes through the “Mega grant” program, also known as the National Infrastructure Project Assistance program. They’ll announce another grant award on Oct. 16.

October 15 & 16, 2024 | Call for Engineers and Funding

The state issues a request for qualifications for companies interested in building the bridge. Two finalists will be chosen from the companies that submit this RFQ.

RI’s federal politicians announce a second federal infrastructure grant to pay for a portion of the Washington Bridge. This one is a $95,589,533 INFRA (Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects program) grant to RIDOT. It brings the federal grant funding secured to $220.98 million.

October 18, 2024 | Budget Bumps

RIDOT submits a change order to its contract with Aetna for demolishing the bridge. The new contract bumps the estimated cost from $58.2 million to $96.6 million, according to WPRI. This comes after the state decided to task Aetna with demolishing the bridge’s substructure instead of allowing the rebuild project to re-use that structure.

December 10, 2024 | Engineering Finalists Selected

RIDOT selects two finalist engineering firms to submit bids to build a replacement bridge. They are the Walsh Group of Chicago and a joint venture between the American Bridge Company of Pennsylvania and MLJ Contracting Corp. of New York. Plans call for the finalist to be selected in June.

January 13, 2025 | Safety Update

State officials said the eastbound Washington Bridge has not experienced any significant deterioration despite carrying twice the normal traffic since it was pressed into an expanded role last year.

Let’s Hear From YOU!

Click on the links below to tell us your thoughts and questions.

What questions do you have about the Washington Bridge?

Take survey

¿Cuáles preguntas tienes sobre el Puente Washington?

Realice la encuesta aquí

Take survey

How has the closure of the Washington Bridge impacted your life?

Take survey

¿Cuál es tu historia personal del Puente Washington?

Realice la encuesta aquí

Take survey

FAQs

When will the bridge be fixed?

The demolition of the superstructure is 80% complete. Two major bridge construction firms have been shortlisted for the Request for Proposal (RFP) process. A fixed bid will be finalized in June 2025, providing a firm cost and schedule for reconstruction. The earliest construction start date is expected in June, but officials have not provided a definitive completion timeline.

What’s the latest progress?

Walsh Construction and American Bridge are the two companies competing for the project. Local subcontractors will be used for materials and specific aspects of the build. Officials emphasized that demolition is proceeding according to plan, despite concerns about noise, dust, and vibrations in surrounding neighborhoods. A four-week pause in demolition was attributed to additional assessments and safety measures.

How much will the rebuild cost?

The total estimated project cost is upwards of $300 million, with funding secured from a combination of state and federal sources, including $125 million in a federal “mega grant” $95.6 million in additional infrastructure grants and some of the $334 million through the Garvee Bond Authority which includes work on other bridges on I-95.

Officials acknowledged potential cost fluctuations due to inflation and steel supply issues.

Is the bridge structurally safe?

Several engineering firms have assessed the eastbound bridge, confirming it can handle six lanes of traffic safely. Real-time monitoring systems have been installed, including weight-in-motion sensors to track structural strain. Vibration monitoring systems to detect seismic or load-related stress Despite these precautions, enforcement of weight limits for trucks remains a concern.

See RIDOT’s bridge data dashboard for the latest inspection status.

What’s going on legally?

There is ongoing litigation related to the project, which could impact the timeline. While RIDOT has assured reporters that litigation would not halt progress, the forensic report on the bridge collapse has not yet been made public, possibly due to legal issues.

Meet the Team