Crews begin tearing down remaining westbound Washington Bridge support piers
The demolition of the westbound Washington Bridge has entered its next phase: Gov. Dan McKee's office announced Monday that contractors have wrapped up tearing down the bridge's superstructure and have begun to demolish support piers.
Crews from Warwick-based Aetna Bridge Co. will break up parts of the old bridge starting on the East Providence side of the Seekonk River. There are no plans for overnight hammering, according to McKee's office.
Aetna's demolition plan, submitted to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) last June, requires crews to use debris shielding and barges to contain material from the westbound highway. It also mandates covering inactive soil stockpiles with tarps.
The effectiveness of those measures is subject to debate, especially after video surfaced in early February of debris slamming onto the barges and into the river. At the time, RIDOT Director Peter Alviti, Jr. said the collapse was controlled and part of the plan.
Aetna crews began demolishing the westbound span last September and initially promised to complete demolition by January 2025. But that was only for the superstructure.
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation last October amended the $45.8 million demolition contract with Aetna, increasing it to $84.2 million. The additional $38.4 million is for the removal of the bridge substructure, which the state projects will be complete by the end of 2025.
Under its contract with the state, Aetna could receive nearly $100 million depending on whether the company finishes work ahead of schedule.
'The start of substructure demolition is another sign of progress in our efforts to deliver a brand-new Washington Bridge that will outlast our lifetimes,' McKee said in a statement. 'As this phase of demolition begins, the procurement process for the rebuild project is moving forward on schedule.'
State officials opened the latest round of bidding to rebuild the westbound Washington Bridge last December — a little more than one year after the state permanently shut down the westbound section of the Interstate 195 span due to risk of collapse.
A final contract is expected to be awarded in June to one of the two finalists competing for the contract to rebuild the westbound bridge — the cost of which has not been determined.
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