Legislative leaders are targeting November for the next oversight hearing on Gov. Dan McKee’s handling of the 2023 westbound Washington Bridge shutdown, and say they still plan to put state employees under oath despite the governor’s objections.

House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Valarie Lawson met Thursday to discuss logistics of new hearings on the findings in a 64-page forensic analysis on what led to the bridge’s failure was released late last week.

“We look forward to a thorough and rigorous examination of the new information contained in the forensic report,” they said in a joint statement issued Friday. “The public deserves answers after nearly two years of major disruption due to the closure of this vital highway which connects and touches all Rhode Islanders.”

The report dated April 5, 2024 by Illinois-based engineering firm Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. does not single out one party for the bridge’s sudden failure. Instead, it faults all those responsible for the highway’s condition – including state officials – for not recognizing the bridge’s problems before the emergency closing.

McKee had promised to make the audit public when he announced at a March 2024 press conference that the bridge would need to be rebuilt. But in a letter to legislative leaders Wednesday, the governor said the findings had to remain out of the public eye during the state’s ongoing lawsuit against the 13 firms that previously worked on the bridge.

The draft audit was released the evening of Sept. 26 by the Rhode Island Office of Attorney General after it learned an “unknown party” was releasing portions of it on Instagram.

In his letter to legislative leaders, McKee said he welcomed oversight from the General Assembly.

But the governor was not on board with Shekarchi and Lawson’s intention to put state officials, including Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti Jr., under oath, citing the state’s ongoing litigation.

“Until the trial of this action, state actors, including RIDOT employees, cannot respond to questions from oversight committees about the failure of the bridge without potentially jeopardizing the state’s case and the recovery of millions of taxpayers’ dollars,” McKee wrote.

Shekarchi and Lawson dispute the governor’s argument, even providing a statement from Attorney General Peter Neronha backing their plan.

“Though my office seeks to hold accountable several contractor companies for what we allege was negligent behavior, that doesn’t mean those in state leadership charged with maintaining our roads and bridges get a free pass,” Neronha said in a statement Friday. “We must know the full truth, and these hearings can absolutely provide helpful insight.”

The state’s lawsuit is scheduled to head to trial in late 2027. A new westbound bridge is expected to be built by November 2028.

Christopher Shea covers politics, the criminal justice system and transportation for the Rhode Island Curren, which is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.