RI Sues Barletta, AECOM and 11 Other Companies Over Their Roles in Failed Washington Bridge

RI Sues Barletta, AECOM and 11 Other Companies Over Their Roles in Failed Washington Bridge

The saga of the failed Washington Bridge took a significant turn on Friday with the anticipated filing of a major lawsuit in Providence Superior Court.

The companies named in the lawsuit filed by the State of Rhode Island include:

Max Wistow and attorneys at Savage Law drafted the lawsuit. In recent weeks, the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office joined the effort.

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As outlined by GoLocal in a recent two-part series, this litigation is comprehensive and focused on financial issues, but is unlikely to be resolved quickly.

Similarly, litigation cases brought by Wistow against companies involved in the 38 Studios and the St. Joseph pension fund receivership took years to resolve. 

While each of those lawsuits recovered was more than $50 million gross, Wistow received in excess of $16 million in the 38 Studios case and more than $11 million in the St. Joseph settlements.

Today's litigation does not address issues revolving around the failed oversight at the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT).

 

The Lawsuit

 

AECOM

One of the major firms hired by RIDOT for work on the Washington Bridge and other high-profile projects is AECOM. In February, GoLocal reported that directly prior to his federal appointment, Federal Highway Administrator (FHWA) Shailen Bhatt served as a top executive for AECOM. 

Bhatt toured the Washington Bridge on February 5, 2024 along with Governor Dan McKee, RIDOT Director Peter Alviti, members of the Congressional delegation, and other officials.

AECOM has been a leading contractor on the Washington Bridge rehab for about a decade, and AECOM executives have donated more than $40,000 in contributions to top Rhode Island politicians.

During the time in which Bhatt worked at AECOM (2021 and 2022), the state of Rhode Island paid millions of dollars to AECOM.

According to Rhode Island payment records, AECOM was paid nearly $6 million in 2021, $4.2 million in 2022, and more than $2 million in 2023. Records from 2021 are not publicly available presently.

A GoLocal review of AECOM’S work in 2018 unveiled that between 2016 and 2018, AECOM was paid more than $12.4 million by the State of Rhode Island.

 

Barletta 

Another firm named in the lawsuit is Barletta Heavy Division. 

Barletta Heavy Engineering — who presently has a contract with the DOT for work on the Washington Bridge — paid a $1.5M penalty and signed a federal non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice in October of 2022 for its role in the dumping of material in the Olneyville sections of Providence.

The Massachusetts-based firm is under indictment in Rhode Island for crimes related to the 6/10 violations.

 

The others named in the suit include:

Aetna Bridge Company
Aries Support Services Inc.
Barletta/Aetna I-195 Washington Bridge North Phase 2 JV
Collins Engineers Inc.
Commonwealth Engineers Consultants Inc.
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc.
Michael Baker International Inc.
Prime AE Group Inc.
Steere Engineering Inc.
Transystems Corporation
Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc.