Finalists Announced to Replace Westbound Washington Bridge

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee marked the one-year anniversary of the emergency closing of the westbound side of the Washington Bridge by announcing two finalists to replace the structure and by asserting that things are going in the right direction after some initial missteps.

“It has been a difficult year for everyone impacted by the closure,” McKee said Tuesday, a day ahead of the anniversary, during a Statehouse news conference. “I know that, and I’m sorry we’ve had to go through this, but it was necessary. Like you, I certainly wish I had known sooner than December 11th that the bridge had serious issues.”

While it was not known until March 14 that the westbound Washington Bridge was beyond repair, McKee said, “Our goal has remained clear: build a new bridge, build it safely and build it right.”

The governor identified the finalists as 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.

This story was reported by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.