PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Gov. Dan McKee's office announced Tuesday that the team of consultants conducting a forensic analysis of the Washington Bridge needs more time to complete their work, and it's now unclear when their much-anticipated report will be released.

The announcement comes a week after McKee had said he expected to release the forensic analysis of the doomed westbound I-195 bridge "within the next week or so." He previously said the report would trigger a "day of reckoning" for those responsible for the bridge's failure.

In a statement Tuesday afternoon, McKee spokesperson Olivia DaRocha said the governor's office has also decided to hire an outside legal team "to seek financial recovery from any responsible parties." She said the governor wants to coordinate with those lawyers on the eventual release of the forensic analysis once they're hired.

"While we are eager to identify the root causes, we also understand that a methodical and detailed approach is needed to prepare the state for any potential legal action that would allow us to hold responsible parties accountable," DaRocha said.

The forensic analysis is being conducted by the engineering firm Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates. DaRocha said "many additional archival documents throughout the bridge’s 50-year history must also be retrieved, reviewed and considered in order to create a comprehensive forensic report."

DaRocha acknowledged the delayed release is a "change in strategy," but said the governor believes it will help the state's legal strategy and ultimately benefit Rhode Island taxpayers.

"The Governor’s Office is finalizing plans to engage an outside legal team to support this effort," she said. "As we began making these arrangements, it became clear that the release of the forensic report must be carefully coordinated with that legal team, to ensure that we maximize the state’s chances of a successful outcome."

DaRocha added: "After this analysis is complete, we will share this information with the public."

Senate Majority Whip Val Lawson, a Democrat who represents East Providence, acknowledged the postponement of accountability is "frustrating."

"It's a little disappointing it's delayed, but at the end of the day, Rhode Island's interest has to be paramount," Lawson told 12 News. "So if there's a need to ... do due diligence to make sure there's potential information for legal action, we need to do that."

She added, "I think we just continue to wait and see and hope we get the accountability and transparency we need. Hopefully, once all this is settled and done, it'll be done the right way."

State leaders two weeks ago announced that the westbound bridge, which connects East Providence and Providence, must be demolished and replaced. The McKee administration abruptly closed the bridge in December after an engineer discovered unsafe conditions.

The abrupt closure led state leaders to order a flurry of new inspections of the bridge, including the forensic analysis, which is supposed to determine what went wrong and who is at fault. The December closure came fewer than six months after a July inspection concluded the structure was in poor condition but still safe enough to travel.

R.I. Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti initially estimated the bridge could be repaired and reopened within three months. But more problems were discovered by January, ultimately leading Alviti and McKee to conclude the bridge must be demolished and replaced.

State leaders now estimate it could take about two years and up to $300 million to replace the bridge. Its closure has already snarled traffic and frustrated daily commuters for more than three months.

RIDOT separately confirmed Tuesday the hiring of two companies to act as "owner's representatives" for the bridge work: GM2 to oversee the construction of the new bridge, and VN Engineers to manage demolition of the old bridge. The firms will help RIDOT write bidding documents, which are expected to go out by the end of this month.

(VN Engineers is the same firm that conducted an analysis of the bridge -- obtained by Target 12 in late February -- which warned that the structure likely needed to be replaced.)

McKee had promised at a March 14 news conference about the bridge's fate that "the day of accountability is coming" and would happen "very soon," suggesting he was prepared to take some type of legal action against whoever is identified as having contributed to the problem.

Taxpayers had already spent about half of a $78 million contract to rehabilitate the bridge before its closure. Asked last month whether the state would get any value out of that money, McKee said, "probably not a lot."

Still, McKee has also expressed continued confidence in Alviti, who was appointed in 2015 by his predecessor Gina Raimondo.

Asked Tuesday whether she also retains confidence in Alviti, Lawson said: "I think we still need to have all the information to make those decisions. ... We need to find out what happened, and once we have that information, then we can proceed to next steps."

Meanwhile, some commuters complained that their commutes over the Henderson Bridge were hampered Tuesday morning by unexpected construction delays.

In response to questions, RIDOT spokesperson Charles St. Martin told 12 News: "RIDOT’s contractor for the Henderson Bridge is preparing for paving work on the approach roads on either side of the Henderson Bridge this spring."

"Moving forward," he added, "work will be scheduled after 9 a.m., after the morning rush hour."

Kayla Fish contributed to this report.