PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Officials announced Wednesday a new pot of federal money for the replacement of the Washington Bridge, a $95.6 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“This brings the total federal dollars to nearly 221 million dollars and that’s a little bit more than what the state requested,” said Senator Jack Reed.

Combined with the previous mega grant that the state received, Rhode Island now has nearly $221 million to replace the westbound side of the bridge.

Sen. Reed called this new round of funding a top priority.

“What we wanted to do was give the state and the people of Rhode Island the sense that they have a significant federal resource available to them to begin the project and to carry them forward, so now there’s resources to begin and we’ll work in the future for more, if necessary,” said Reed.

While the $95.6 million brings the state one step closer to rebuilding the bridge, there’s still no updated timeline for when the reconstruction will start.

“Well, I think we would all like to see the bridge reopen tomorrow, that’s not going to happen,” explained Reed. “We have to be realistic, this is a major project, first the demolition which will renew this week and then the design of the bridge so that it is long lasting, and then the construction which we know takes time.”

The demolition of the westbound side could take until at least February to finish.

A nearly $96 million federal grant will round out the funding Rhode Island requested to replace the I-195 westbound Washington Bridge, Rhode Island’s Democratic congressional delegation announced in a joint statement with Gov. Dan McKee Wednesday.

That money combined with the $125.39 million in Mega grants the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) secured in September brings the total amount available from the federal government to replace the bridge to $220.98 million — the full amount the state requested when it applied for grants back in May.

New Washington Bridge rebuild contract won’t be awarded till June 2025

The sum likely won’t cover the entire cost of the project, which has been previously quoted at $368 million for construction, a number which does not include the $58 million needed for demolition of the existing, defunct bridge lane.

The new injection of the $95.5 million announced Wednesday comes from the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects program in the form of an INFRA grant.   

Additional funding, up to $140 million, was authorized by Rhode Island Commerce in July, and the fiscal 2025 budget allotted $80 million of state money for the Washington Bridge’s revival.  

“We know that ensuring this complex project is done right will take time, but it’s encouraging to see demolition resuming this week, the rebuild bidding process moving forward, and additional federal dollars coming in,” McKee said in a joint statement.

U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse supported the legislation which made the new funds possible — the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in 2021. One outcome of the act was a 50% increase in federal funding available for INFRA grants. The $125 million for the Washington Bridge rebuild came from a $1 billion pool of funds available for Mega grants across the country.  

“This INFRA Program infusion for the Washington Bridge fills in a major missing piece of the funding puzzle to ensure the state can get the job done right,” Whitehouse stated.

“I commend the Biden-Harris administration for its leadership, support, and commitment to a modern and resilient infrastructure system,” Reed added. “The state must put this money to work and keep the public updated with a clear timetable for progress.”

The funds won’t be used for some time. A Tuesday press conference at the Rhode Island State House estimated that a contract for construction of the new bridge won’t be awarded until June 2025.