In a news conference Tuesday morning, Governor Dan McKee declined to give an estimate for when the new bridge on I-195 West will reopen. A tentative contract is not slated to be awarded until June 2025.

State officials expect to award a contract to rebuild the I-195 westbound Washington Bridge by June 2025 — nearly a year later than the twice-revised timeline called for. The new procurement process unveiled at a State House press briefing Tuesday morning comes on the heels of a prior attempt to find a demolition contractor,

State officials hosted another public meeting on the Washington Bridge demolition after receiving criticism that the last meeting was too short. Gov. Dan McKee and Rhode Island Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti led the virtual discussion and took questions from the public.