RI announces plans to fix 11 bridges, eliminate 4 more
by: Jusolyn Flower
CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) — On Friday, state officials unveiled Rhode Island’s largest infrastructure initiative, the “15 Bridges Project,” which is concentrated around I-95 and Route 10.
After securing a $251 million federal grant from the Bridge Investment Program last month, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) was given the green light to jumpstart the $779 million project.
The plan is to address 15 bridges currently rated as “poor” or “fair to poor,” located along the I-95 and Route 10 corridors between Providence and Warwick.
RIDOT Director Peter Alviti detailed how the project will improve the area.
“New infrastructure will reroute the traffic in and around this interchange in a much more efficient way, and one that eliminates a lot of heavy maintenance, intensive kinds of infrastructure from our inventory, making it easier and better for us to maintain in the future,” Alviti said.
Of the 15 bridges, 11 will be repaired, which includes nine that are structurally deficient, according to RIDOT.
“If any of these 9 to 15 bridges that we’re going to be repairing were to become inoperable, it would cripple the northeast corridor,” Alviti said.
Four of the bridges along Route 10, from Pontiac Avenue to Park Avenue, will be torn down.
“That means a lot of green space coming back to life,” Alviti said. “It means additional bike paths and a boulevard that’s being created in the local community.”
Huntington Viaduct — Route 10 over I-95
RIDOT plans to reconstruct Route 10 between Elmwood Avenue and Park Avenue and convert it into a boulevard. This new design will include a shared-use path to improve connectivity and accessibility for various users, such as pedestrians and cyclists.
Work is set to commence immediately and RIDOT plans to repair the Elmwood Avenue Bridge first, which carries I-95 over Elmwood Avenue in Providence. Accelerated bridge construction methods will be used starting in late summer or early fall.
The entire project is expected to take seven years to complete, finishing in 2031.
Huntington Viaduct — Route 10 over Elmwood Avenue
