PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) -- R.I. Attorney General Peter Neronha revealed Friday his office is getting involved in Gov. Dan McKee's effort to pursue lawsuits tied to the Washington Bridge failure.

The attorney general said his office was recently contacted by the governor's outside attorneys, Max Wistow and Jonathan Savage, who indicated there may be a role for his prosecutors in the litigation efforts. Neronha said he's interested in taking part.

"Our office is best positioned to represent the state in any litigation, and I think there is a role for us there, but I'm not ready to talk much more about it," Neronha said on this week's taping of WPRI 12's Newsmakers.

"For the sake of the taxpayer, the involvement of our office is important, and I hope to achieve that in the coming days," he added.

The governor hired Wistow and Savage earlier this year to investigate whether the state could recoup any money from the companies that have worked on the Washington Bridge in the years leading up to its abrupt failure.

The westbound bridge has been shuttered ever since its closure in December, causing snarled traffic for commuters and political headaches for the governor and other elected officials. The McKee administration is now expecting to spend nearly a half-billion dollars and counting to demolish and replace the bridge.

Wistow -- known for successfully clawing back millions of dollars for taxpayers after the state's failed investment into the video game company 38 Studios -- said last week the legal team plans to file lawsuits tied to the Washington Bridge matter on or before Aug. 19.

McKee spokesperson Olivia DaRocha confirmed Friday the governor's legal team was in talks with Neronha's office.

"With the decision to pursue legal action solidified, we are engaging in discussions with the attorney general’s office about utilizing all available resources to achieve a favorable outcome for taxpayers in this case," she said in a statement.

Neronha's involvement comes after months of him publicly butting heads with the governor over the state's strategy. When McKee announced his legal team in April, Neronha came out with a statement saying the governor had ignored his offer to help provide legal support.

“This situation now presents tests of leadership: how quickly can the bridge be rebuilt, and, to the extent any blame for this fiasco can placed anywhere beyond the state itself, holding those entities accountable,” Neronha spokesperson Brian Hodge said at the time. “Like all Rhode Islanders, the attorney general will be watching carefully and with great interest as Governor McKee attempts to meet the moment in both respects.”

The comments spurred McKee to release a text message in question between the two Democrats, showing Neronha offered to help and the governor thanking him for the offer.

“As I mentioned in my comments, we’ve certainly relayed that text to our legal team in our office and we’ve also now relayed that text to this team as well, and I expect they will be reaching out to the attorney general if they feel as though he could be helpful in the objectives that we’ve set,” McKee said at the time.

More recently, Neronha took to social media to criticize how much the McKee administration has publicized its plans for going after construction companies, suggesting it has negatively affected the state's ability to get people to do much-needed infrastructure work.

Nobody bid on the McKee administration's first attempt at soliciting offers from companies to rebuild the failed Washington Bridge, forcing state officials to restart the effort.

"Pro tip: Don't tell everyone you are going to sue everyone in sight before you do anything. Just drop the hammer on the right people when the time is ripe," Neronha tweeted last week.

On Newsmakers, the attorney general echoed the sentiment.

"I'm not a saber-rattler until it's time to go to war," he said.

Tim White and Ted Nesi contributed to this report.