Westbound Washington Bridge span should be gone by March 2025. Here's how it will happen.

Patrick Anderson, Providence Journal
·1 min read

The condemned westbound Washington Bridge spam should be gone by March 2025.

That's the target date set in a request for proposals to tear down the crumbling structure released Friday by the state Department of Transportation, which wants demolition work to begin in July.

The remaining, eastbound span of the Washington Bridge, now with three lanes carrying traffic in each direction.
The remaining, eastbound span of the Washington Bridge, now with three lanes carrying traffic in each direction.

The first step in a new era for the Washington Bridge

The RFP for a Washington Bridge demolition contractor marks the start of a multi-year, multi-step project: taking the old westbound span down and building a new one.

A separate RFP for a firm to design and build the new bridge is expected to be released in the coming days.

The bridge will be taken down in four segments, according to the RFP:

  • Gano Street ramp bridges

  • The west end of the bridge

  • The east cantilever spans

  • The east end of the bridge.

Contracts include bonuses – and penalties

How much demolition ends up costing will depend on the bids, but the contact will include bonuses of up to $3 million for finishing early, and penalties of up to $3 million for running behind schedule.

The winner will be selected based on "best value," which takes into account cost and the technical merit of what is proposed.

To encourage competition, the RFP offers $100,000 to the second- and third-place bidders.

Final bids are due June 21.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Washington Bridge news: Demo will start in July, state taking bids