PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The legal battle over who's to blame for the Washington Bridge breakdown continues. The Rhode Island Attorney General's office filed a response to the Washington Bridge defendants, who have been accused of failing to identify and address structural issues on the bridge that resulted in the abrupt closure of the westbound side. The filing revealed those companies are now hoping to get the lawsuit dismissed against them. The 60-page response accused the defendants of "failing to inform RIDOT of critical deficiencies in the bridge's structural safety and integrity." ALSO READ: Progress cited on monitoring system for eastbound Washington Bridge The defendants, which include more than a dozen companies, had filed separate motions to dismiss the lawsuit. Rhode Island's litigation team issued counterarguments against each motion in the filing. In part of the response, it wrote, "The state's claims seek to ensure accountability for public safety failures and prevent taxpayers from bearing the costs of defendants' misconduct. Court should deny defendants' motions and allow the state's claims to proceed to discovery and resolution on their merits." In the meantime, demolition work of the westbound bridge is set to be completed by the end of this year. Two finalists were selected last month to compete for the contract to build a new bridge, and a winner is expected to be announced in June. NEXT: RI releases new draft RFP for Washington Bridge rebuild Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup SIGN UP NOW