 realistic timeline. 12 News asked McKee if he still thinks the new bridge could be opened by August 2026. We'll find out how realistic that was and then if we need to set a new time frame based on the responses we get from these new RFPs, we certainly will let everybody know. A spokesperson for the Rhode Island DOT says the state purposely chose an aggressive timeline to get the job done as quickly as possible. State Representative Jason Knight says a new realistic time frame needs to be set.