The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority (RITBA) has announced that the first sequence of the deck repair project on the Newport Pell Bridge is now complete.
This comes two days before its scheduled completion date of June 29. This work, which began onMay 16, consisted of a partial depth hydro-demolition and replacement of the concrete roadway deck from curb to curb for 200 ft. of the westbound and eastbound lanes to the east approach of the Bridge (Newport side). The contractor removed the concrete deck down to the rebar and fresh concrete has been poured. This work required permanent lane closures, and single travel lanes in each direction.
During July and August work will be performed from underneath the Bridge using barges, to focus on the removal of the existing steel bearings from the Bridge’s original construction in 1969 and replace them with new and modern elastomeric bearings. As a result, there will not be any permanent lane closures during these months on the Bridge. However, there will be ongoing maintenance work associated with other projects which will require periodic lane closures during non-rush hours as well as some nights. Overweight vehicles with Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) over 80,000 pounds will be prohibited from crossing the bridge.
Starting September 19 the above deck work will recommence and will continue through December 2017. This stage will again require permanent single travel lanes in each direction.
To plan your commute and stay ahead of the traffic you can access up-to-date information on construction activity and real-time traffic, by visiting RITBA’s website at RITBA.org. This site provides the latest information concerning lane closures, construction activity and traffic delays for the Newport Pell, Jamestown Verrazzano, Mount Hope and Sakonnet River Bridges, in addition to the RT. 138 Connector.
