Contractor for Washington Bridge Demo - Gets Nearly $40M Change Order, No Bid

Contractor for Washington Bridge Demo - Gets Nearly $40M Change Order, No Bid

Aetna Bridge, the company that was given the contract for the demolition of the Washington Bridge in June despite being the high bidder, has scored a no-bid change order for tens of millions of dollars more.

On Thursday, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation signed a change order with Aetna Bridge for $38,410,000.

Between the original demolition contract award to Aetna in June for $45,777,000.

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Combined, Aetna has now been awarded $84,187,000.

The demolition of the bridge was budgeted for $40 million by RIDOT.

According to the change order, the additional work includes:

Remove Land Based Piers 1·3 and 10s14 to 2' below grade but no deeper than top of existing footing and backfill with compacted gravel. Piers 3 and 10 Columns to be removed to the top of footing base and the base is to remain as the coastal feature to minimize disturbance within the coastal environment.

Water piers 4 thru 9 will be demolished by hoe-ram to the mudline. Piers 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9 are assumed to have some footing demolition. Gano Ramps 2R & 3R assume the footing will be removed and Pier 1R footing to have partial removal to mudllne. The following water piers are assumed to have some existing cofferdam sheeting cut and a portion of the exposed tremie seal removed to the mudline: Piers 5 and 9 and Gano Ramp Pier 3R.

All abutments, wingwalls, backwalls and return walls are to remain.

 

 

High Bidder

In the initial Aetna demolition contract, the competitor for the contract was Manafort, a major national firm with deep experience and a track record in Rhode Island.

The two firms had identical scores for firm experience and staff qualifications — with both Aetna and Manafort scoring 85 in each category.

But Aetna won again despite the higher price — $45,777,000.00 to Manafort’s bid of $43,849,500.00.

Aetna won the bid according to the scoring. Aetna’s schedule for the demolition was scored 97 and Manafort a 55. RIDOT wrote in its evaluation, “The Apparent Best Value Respondent, as determined by the above evaluation as specified in the RFP documents, is Aetna Bridge with an overall combined total score of 94.0 (out of 100 maximum). Therefore, we recommend award preparation that will commence outlining all contractual requirements and accepting pricing.”

 

Aetna Bridge — Politically Connected

The politically connected firm's executives have donated tens of thousands to top Rhode Island politicians, including Governor Dan McKee, former Governor Gina Raimondo, Speaker Joe Shekarchi, and Democratic candidate Helena Foulkes.

Aetna Bridge executives have donated $25,541 to Rhode Island politicians. McKee has received $5,200 from top executives at Aetna, but that pales compared to the $7,000 Helena Foulkes received. Foulkes lost to McKee in the 2022 Democratic primary and is running again in 2026.

Shekarchi also collected from Aetna executives — $1,600.

Former Governor Raimondo received another $1,500.

Aetna Bridge is actually named twice in the state’s lawsuit — individually and for its role in a joint venture.

The state claims the company is guilty of negligence and breach of contract.

When McKee was asked about why the state was continuing to award contracts to a company that the state was alleging was responsible in part for the failure of the bridge, he refused to answer the question.

McKee's office said in an email to GoLocal, "While litigation is pending, we are referring all questions about the lawsuit and the accompanying investigation to the attorneys." 

 

This story was first published on 10/18/24 at 3:28 PM. This story was updated at 4:33 PM