RI lands $95.6 million second federal grant for Washington Bridge
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Rhode Island's congressional delegation announced Wednesday they have secured a second major federal grant to help rebuild the Washington Bridge, welcome news for state leaders just a day after they had to delay the project.
The U.S. Department of Transportation is awarding Rhode Island a $95.6 million grant from the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects program, known as an "INFRA" grant.
Combined with a $125 million federal "Mega Grant" that the delegation announced last month, the two awards mean Rhode Island will receive the maximum $221 million the state had been eligible to get from the two programs based on the original cost estimate for the bridge project. It's possible more federal funding will be sought in the future as the cost rises.
"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," said U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who proposed legislation years ago that helped establish the INFRA grant program.
U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee and is a senior member of its transportation funding panel, said getting the federal money has been "a top priority."
"Now the state must utilize this $220.98 million in federal funding to accelerate progress toward a new bridge that meets capacity and safety needs now and in the future," he said.
Congressmen Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo also hailed the new grant award. All four members of the delegation are Democrats.
The bridge on I-195 West had been carrying roughly 90,000 cars over the Seekonk River when the R.I. Department of Transportation abruptly closed it last December due to structural failure. Within months, officials said the 56-year-old span could not be salvaged.
Under Gov. Dan McKee's original funding plan for demolishing and replacing the westbound bridge announced last spring, the two federal grants would have covered a large share of the $473 million cost . But it now appears significantly more money will be needed.
On Tuesday, McKee revealed that the state is kicking off a second attempt to secure a contractor willing to build the new bridge, after the administration's first effort ended in failure in July. A contract for the project is now expected to be awarded next June, with demolition of the old bridge slated to be finished by the end of 2025.
At a news conference, McKee said he couldn't estimate when the new bridge might be completed or what the final price tag might be. He also said Aetna Bridge Co.'s contract for demolition will be going up, too, because the state has decided to have Aetna take down the old bridge's substructure, as well.
The current plan to pay for the new Washington Bridge is a jigsaw puzzle of different funding sources.
In August, the state borrowed $140 million , backed by future federal highway funding, as a down payment on the project. Another round of borrowing has been contemplated for early next year, depending on whether more money is needed at that point.
In addition to the $221 million in federal grants and the $140 million in new borrowing, lawmakers redirected $35 million in federal COVID relief money to the bridge that had been previously designated for the South Quay project in East Providence. The state also plans to repurpose federal grants that had previously been awarded for work on the bridge.
Ted Nesi ( ) is a Target 12 investigative reporter and 12 News politics/business editor. He co-hosts Newsmakers and writes Nesi's Notes on Saturdays. Connect with him on Twitter , Threads and Facebook .
