PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The McKee administration on Friday picked Aetna Bridge Co. to demolish the westbound Washington Bridge, selecting the corporate over a rival bidder that had additionally sought the job.
Aetna estimated the price of the demolition job at $45.8 million, which is considerably increased than the R.I. Division of Transportation’s prior estimate. The opposite bidder was Manafort Brothers Inc., which bid $43.8 million.
RIDOT spokesperson Liz Pettengill stated the company had budgeted $31 million to cowl the development portion of the demolition challenge, together with $3 million of incentives if the work is completed early.
Aetna’s bid doesn’t embrace the motivation fee, which might deliver its whole for the demolition work to $48.8 million, or over $17 million greater than budgeted.
A evaluate committee that included RIDOT Director Peter Alviti decided Aetna’s plan was an total higher worth for the state regardless of being costlier than Manafort’s, based on a memo launched by the R.I. Division of Administration.
Pettengill stated two elements led Aetna to beat out Manafort for the job.
“The primary is that Aetna included a completion date that’s 50 days ahead of what we requested for within the RFP and, as you recognize, an aggressive timeline is a precedence,” she instructed 12 Information. “Second, they assumed all the chance.”
The westbound bridge is meant to be totally demolished by subsequent March. It closed abruptly final December after engineers found critical structural issues with the span.
The eastbound Washington Bridge, a separate and newer construction, is at present carrying site visitors on I-195 in each instructions over the Seekonk River.
The award to Aetna is tentative and nonetheless must be finalized. The corporate had already been engaged on the reconstruction of the bridge as a part of a three way partnership with one other agency, Barletta Heavy Division, earlier than that challenge was abruptly halted when the bridge closed.
Frank McMahon, a spokesperson for Aetna, stated the corporate was happy with its choice.
“With over 79 years of expertise in bridge building, restore, and demolition, our crew is able to get to work on this essential transportation infrastructure challenge for the state of Rhode Island,” he stated.
Aetna listed eight corporations it plans to make use of as subcontractors: Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. for lead designer; J.R. Vinagro for demolition subcontractor; Siefert Associations for building engineering; Freeman Corporations for site visitors engineering; Narragansett Engineering for survey work; Oliveira Infrastructure LLC for freeway design assist; Advocacy Options for public outreach; and Thielsch Engineering for building high quality management.
Legal professional Max Wistow — who has been employed by the state to pursue potential authorized damages over the bridge’s failure — in April despatched letters to Aetna and 11 different corporations, asking them in the event that they wished to examine the bridge earlier than it’s demolished. Nonetheless, Wistow downplayed the concept that these have been “goal letters” exhibiting who the state would possibly plan to sue.
Individually, RIDOT is at present soliciting bids for the estimated $368.3 million contract to design and construct a brand new westbound bridge. These are due subsequent Wednesday, with a tentative award anticipated to be made by July 12.
The bridge closure has been a serious headache for Gov. Dan McKee, who has stood by Alviti regardless of calls in some quarters for him to get replaced over the disaster. A ballot launched this week by Salve Regina College’s Pell Heart confirmed solely 29% of Rhode Island voters authorized of how McKee has dealt with the bridge scenario.
Ted Nesi (tnesi@wpri.com) is a Goal 12 investigative reporter and 12 Information politics/enterprise editor. He co-hosts Newsmakers and writes Nesi’s Notes on Saturdays. Join with him on Twitter, Threads and Fb.