NEW: McKee Falsely Claims Washington Bridge Demo Is Ahead of Schedule

NEW: McKee Falsely Claims Washington Bridge Demo Is Ahead of Schedule

 

 

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On March 14, 2024, Governor Dan McKee and the Rhode Island Director of Transportation held a press conference on the timeline and cost of demolishing the failed Washington Bridge and constructing the replacement bridge.

 

At that press conference, the demolition was to be completed by March of 2025.

 

And McKee presented a plan that would have the new bridge in place by September of 2026 at the latest.

 

Now, on Friday, McKee announced “the Washington Bridge project reached a major milestone ahead of schedule: the full demolition of the old bridge is complete.”

 

 

 

 

 

“We continue to make progress on the Washington Bridge project, and reaching this major demolition milestone is an important step forward,” said McKee. “I know travelers are still feeling the frustration of traffic, and I want to assure them that we are fully committed to rebuilding this bridge as quickly as possible, with one of the nation’s top bridge builders leading the work. We thank Rhode Islanders for their patience as we construct a new, safe bridge that will improve traffic flow and shorten commute times.” 

The Governor’s office claimed: “The full demolition project was completed in two major phases: first, the deck and superstructure, and then the substructure. The deck and the superstructure were removed between July 2024 and February 2025, finishing on schedule. Substructure demolition began in March 2025, with work on the underwater portions starting in July 2025 in accordance with environmental permits. The final phase wrapped up this week, ahead of schedule.”

 

GoLocal reached out to McKee’s office about the inconsistency and the false claim.

 

His office did not respond.