The state will pay its demolition contractor another $38.4 million to demolish the piers and beams underneath the I-195 westbound Washington Bridge, according to an agreement inked Wednesday and obtained by Rhode Island Current Friday.
The amendment to the existing contract with Aetna Bridge Co . marks an 84% increase over the existing, $45.8 million deal, which only covered the demolition of the superstructure — not the piers, beams and footings beneath it. Adding in another $10 million in demolition-related costs not included in the contract, the first phase of the project now totals more than $96 million.
State officials originally planned to keep the substructure beneath the thoroughfare intact for potential reuse in the replacement bridge. However, expert companies brought in to consult on the rebuild plan all said the aging substructure posed too big a risk — and expense — for a contractor to want to preserve.
Gov. Dan McKee and Rhode Island Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti first revealed plans at a press conference Tuesday for the change order with Aetna, expanding its scope of work to include the substructure demolition. The actual agreement was not publicly available at the time.