One year later, RI officials haven't released forensic analysis of Washington Bridge failure
Dec 11, 2024
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) -- It's still unclear when the public will see the so-called forensic analysis of the westbound Washington Bridge one year after its abrupt closure, even as companies sued over the span's failure prepare to go to court.
The suit, filed by R.I. Attorney General Peter Neronha's office in August, alleges the companies failed to identify and address “worsening structural issues” that ultimately resulted in the bridge's abrupt closure last December.
Key moments since the westbound Washington Bridge closed one year ago
The companies have fought back in multiple court filings.
Steere Engineering, one of the 13 companies named in the lawsuit, filed a memorandum of law in support of its motion for judgment on the pleadings on Nov. 22.
"Even accepting all the factual allegations in the complaint as true, nothing but pure speculation can tie any failure of any part of the bridge’s piers 6 and 7 to services performed by Steere," Steere's attorney Warren Hutchison wrote.
A motion to dismiss hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 21 before Judge Brian Stern.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Gov. Dan McKee said figuring out who is responsible for the failure of the bridge will take time, but that he believed the state would be successful in its lawsuit."I am confident that we’re pursuing those individuals that I believe should be held accountable," McKee said.
R.I. Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti added that he had no evidence suggesting any of the fault for the bridge's failure lied within RIDOT itself.
The August lawsuit claims 13 companies knew or should have known about the unique engineering features of the bridge and that it would be difficult to inspect.
In the early days of the crisis, McKee and Alviti said an independent contractor would conduct a forensic analysis of what went wrong. The release of that report was delayed in April after the state announced it would hire the outside legal team.
On Wednesday, Target 12 asked the governor's office when that report would be made available.
"That information is part of the litigation so we will refer you to the legal team," McKee spokesperson Olivia DaRocha said.
Neronha spokesperson Tim Rondeau told Target 12 that "the report is privileged and confidential" and there was no timeline to share.
In a live interview on 12 News at 4 on Wednesday, Neronha said that the analysis was something promised by McKee, not his office.
"If you asked me for it and I could share it with you, I would," Neronha said. "That's not to say that there aren't some reports somewhere that suggest perhaps, that person X or person Y should have seen X or Y. I'm not saying that exists, I'm not saying it doesn't."
Alexandra Leslie ([email protected]) is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook.
Kim Kalunian contributed to this report.