PROVIDENCE — The Rhode Island Department of Transportation abruptly halted demolition of the Washington Bridge on I-195 West Tuesday to “preserve evidence” for the lawsuit against companies that have worked on the bridge.

Demolition work on the westbound Washington Bridge is halted until further notice because state litigators say they need to preserve evidence in the ongoing case against the 13 firms who previously worked on the shuttered highway.

Rhode Island is set to receive over $125 million in federal grant money to help replace the Washington Bridge.

Rhode Island will receive $125 million in federal funding toward replacing the westbound side of the Washington Bridge.

The funding is about $100 million short of what the state had been seeking, although federal officials said they're working to get more.

A day after demolition work on the Washington Bridge was abruptly halted to "preserve evidence" for the state's ongoing lawsuit.