McKee pelted with questions, criticism for ‘hiding’ forensic analysis of Washington Bridge

PROVIDENCE – Governor Dan McKee is facing sharp criticism from both ends of the political spectrum for refusing for a year and a half to make public a “forensic audit” – he commissioned – that exposed the state’s share of the blame for the Washington Bridge fiasco.

The most immediate questions in the wake of the publication of the long-withheld report:

• Will Democrat McKee keep Peter Alviti as state Transportation Director?

• Can McKee survive the political fallout from withholding the report alleging decades of neglect from public view and then, after he had it in hand, giving Alviti a raise?

No response yet from McKee to questions about Alviti’s future in his administration. However, McKee’s only declared Democratic primary challenger, Helena Foulkes, has already started pelting him with questions. Simultaneously, state GOP Chairman Joe Powers is hammering McKee’s role in the “political betrayal” that required the closure and demolition of the bridge.

What does the Washington Bridge report say?

The 64-page forensic analysis was conducted by Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. in 2024 and was made public by Attorney General Peter Neronha on Friday, Sept. 26.

The report identified years of failures by the state and numerous private companies that failed to realize how bad the deterioration was and how close it was to catastrophe.

“Many of the issues highlighted in this report show that program managers, bridge inspectors, and designers should have and could have been aware of problems that were developing,” the report says.

House and Senate leaders have not yet said anything about the forensic audit or the renewed calls for legislative oversight hearings.

GOP asks: Where is the ‘Day of Reckoning?

Powers’ take: “The newly revealed forensic analysis of the Washington Bridge collapse confirms what Rhode Islanders feared: this disaster was decades in the making. It was not sudden. It was not unforeseeable.

“It was the result of systemic neglect, ignored warnings, and political leaders who chose spin over responsibility.”

“Why was this report hidden? Why weren’t Rhode Islanders told about the crumbling infrastructure we were driving on? And why did Democratic leadership gamble with public safety instead of telling us the truth?” Powers said.

And “where is the ‘Day of Reckoning’ the Governor promised? Why hasn’t a single person been fired, prosecuted, or held accountable for this dereliction of duty?” he asked.

Foulkes, the former top CVS executive making her second run for governor, echoed some of Powers’ questions, added her own; again called for Alviti to be fired, “for there to be a full, independent investigation and … the RI General Assembly [to] commit to holding oversight hearings.”

Foulkes’ questions for McKee

These are the questions Foulkes says McKee needs to answer: “Has anyone been held accountable for the findings of the audit? If not, will anyone be held accountable?”

“Will Governor McKee support oversight hearings and a full investigation as to what happened?”

Among her other questions:

“Why, after promising the forensic audit would result in a ‘day of reckoning,’ did Governor McKee not release it? Did Governor McKee change his mind about releasing the audit after learning what was in it?

“Who besides Governor McKee had access to the forensic audit?

“Why did Governor McKee continue to solely blame the bridge outside contractors–including the bridge builders, inspectors and designers–when the forensic audit also pointed to failures by state officials?”

“Did Governor McKee personally read and review the forensic audit and have any meetings with Director Alviti and the state’s Program Manager for Inspections?”

“Will the McKee administration report to the public where there is risk to other bridges and what RIDOT is doing to fix them?”

McKee’s response so far

McKee’s only response so far to the leak of the forensic report – and subsequent public release by the attorney general: “As part of the legal case, this report was previously provided by my administration to the state’s attorneys handling the case, and later shared by our attorneys with the defendants during the discovery process.

“The court has denied the defendants’ motions to dismiss this case, determining that it is worthy of moving forward. We are going to allow that process to continue.

“I’ve said from the very beginning that the legal process will deliver accountability. That has not changed.

“As this lawsuit is currently ongoing, I cannot comment further.”

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Foulks, GOP attack McKee over new Washington Bridge analysis