Is this the most Rhode Island story of all time?
In a not so surprising turn of events, no companies submitted bids to rebuild the new westbound Washington Bridge by the Wednesday deadline, leaving the massive project in limbo. The reconstruction job, valued at over $300 million, drew no interest from firms despite a noon cutoff on the state portal.
This setback is a significant blow to Governor Dan McKee and his advisers, who had set an ambitious goal to open the new bridge by August 2026, just a month before the governor faces Democratic primary voters for reelection. In an effort to entice bidders, McKee had even offered up to $10 million in incentives for companies that could expedite the project.
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) acknowledged the lack of bids and announced plans to reassess the project’s RFP. “The State purposely chose an aggressive project timeline with corresponding incentives and disincentives with the goal of completing the bridge rebuild as quickly as possible,” RIDOT stated on Wednesday. “While expediency is still the goal, given that the initial RFP did not produce a response, we will now be reviewing and potentially adjusting factors affecting contractor participation to the RFP before rebidding the project.”
As the state navigates this unexpected delay, questions loom about the future of the Washington Bridge reconstruction and the feasibility of meeting the original 2026 deadline.
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