Jan. 27 (UPI) — Investigators for the Office of the Inspector General and the Department of Justice are looking into the recent partial closure of the Washington Bride in Rhode Island months after it was re-opened following repairs.
Federal officials on Friday notified the Rhode Island Department of Transportation that they are looking into the partial closure of the Interstate 195 bridge on Dec. 11 due to the failure of some of its original structural parts, according to documents obtained by WJAR-TV .
The investigation is to determine if there is evidence of false claims filed with the federal government following work completed on the bridge in July.
“The investigation concerns the allegation that false claims for payment for services and/or false statements in support of such payments have been submitted to the U.S. government,” the Rhode Island U.S. Attorney’s office said in a document sent to Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee.
“These payments relate to claims submitted involving the construction, inspection, and/or repair of the I-195 Washington Bridge connecting Providence and East Providence, Rhode Island,” the U.S. Attorney’s letter said.