Washington Bridge updates: McKee lobbies feds, and keeping tabs on eastbound side • Rhode Island Current

Gov. Dan McKee spent part of this week in Washington D.C. as the state’s top lobbyist in an attempt to secure federal funding to cover the still-to-be-determined cost of rebuilding the westbound Washington Bridge.

The governor met with Senior White House Adviser Tom Perez Wednesday to get President Joe Biden’s administration to approve a $221 million grant application currently pending before the U.S. Department of Transportation. State officials expect to know whether Rhode Island is awarded the federal money sometime in the fall. 

So how did the lobbying effort go? “Good,” McKee said during his weekly “Ask the Governor” interview with WPRO’s Gene Valicenti Thursday.

“We just made it clear that this is a high priority,” McKee said. “It is a competitive bid, we’re competing with the country — but I believe the case we’re making is one that represents how critical this is and how much an issue this is for the people that live in our state.”

The governor also connected with his predecessor, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, about trying to sway the Biden administration on the state’s behalf, McKee spokesperson Olivia DaRocha said in an emailed statement.

“What we’re doing is taking every possible person who could help us be successful,” McKee told Valicenti.

Financials behind the rebuild project are expected to be clarified after the state issues a second request for proposals. The initial request — posted April 30 with a July 3 deadline to respond — drew no bidders. 

When the new round of bidding opens is anyone’s guess.

“It should be soon, but no dates have been put out,” Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) spokesperson Charles St. Martin said in an interview Thursday.

The state’s continued push for federal dollars comes as bridge deck and beam demolition is underway on the westbound highway, which has been closed to traffic since December. That work is being done under a $45.8 million contract between the state and Warwick-based Aetna Bridge Co.

RIDOT does not expect traffic on the eastbound span to be affected by the ongoing demo work — though it has resulted in ongoing night time closures to portions of Gano Street in Providence for the next couple of weeks. State transportation officials also plan to close Waterfront Drive in East Providence for one week starting Sept. 17.

The superstructure of the bridge is expected to be torn down by the end of January, according to the proposal Aetna submitted to RIDOT. Rhode Island Current submitted a records request for Aetna’s full demolition plan on Sept. 3, but still has not received a response from RIDOT as of Friday. 

State monitoring weight on eastbound bridge

No implosions will occur, St. Martin said — that way debris doesn’t fall into the Seekonk River and it will protect the adjacent eastbound span, which now carries traffic in both directions.

Increased traffic on the eastbound has caused some concerns at RIDOT, as the state in May paid $2.8 million to Swiss-based technology company Kistler to install monitoring systems meant to keep track of the bridge’s structural health.

“The eastbound Washington Bridge has become considerably more sensitive since the closing of the westbound bridge,” RIDOT engineer John Priess wrote in an April 25 request form.

Kistler was chosen through a sole source procurement — meaning a public bid process was not required. St. Martin said Thursday that was because “no other companies contacted about this technology could provide the combined analysis RIDOT sought.”

He added the new monitoring system is a precautionary measure.

“One of the great things about this system is that it will use multiple communications channels to notify RIDOT in real time if any issues are detected,” St. Martin said in an emailed statement. “This purchase should provide peace of mind to anyone who has concerns about the increase in traffic now that there are six active lanes on the bridge.”

There are no plans for weight restrictions. Installation is expected to be complete in October.

What about that lawsuit?

Litigation against the 13 firms who previously worked on or inspected the bridge before its sudden closure is still in its early stages. As things pick up, the Rhode Island Office of Attorney General confirmed Friday it will post filings on its website as they become available.

Spokesperson Timothy Rondeau declined to say when that would begin. 

There have been no major filings since the lawsuit itself was filed in mid-August aside from one hearing to get on the Superior Court’s business calendar and attorneys signing on to represent the defendants.