Jamestown, RI – The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority (RITBA) today announced the successful completion of Phase Two of the Newport Pell Bridge roadway deck rehabilitation project. Phase Two, which began June 3rd, consisted of a partial depth hydro-demolition and replacement of the concrete roadway deck of 4,500 feet to the westbound travel lane (center lane traveling towards Jamestown).
Phase Three is the final phase of the deck rehabilitation for 2020. This phase is set to begin a month ahead of its expected start date. Preparation work will begin Tuesday, August 11th, with hydro-demolition and milling work beginning the week of August 17th. The project is expected to last through the end of November. This phase of the project will focus on rehabilitating the eastbound passing lane (center lane on the south side heading to Newport) of the bridge deck, as well as accelerated replacement of an area previously not scheduled for replacement until after completion of the RIDOT Newport Ramp Realignment Project.
For Phase Three, during the afternoon rush hours, there will be two lanes of travel leaving Newport. RITBA will continue to monitor traffic daily and open two lanes heading into Newport during the morning rush hours if an increase in vehicles traveling over the bridge becomes evident.
During non-rush hours, there may be one lane open in both directions, and the contractor will have access to perform work on the other two lanes (see diagram attached).
In a press release, RITBA stresses that the speed limit on the bridge will be reduced to 25 miles per hour during this project and that the reduced speed limit will be strictly enforced. Additionally, due to reduced lane widths and hydro-demolition of the bridge deck, travel will be prohibited for overwide and overweight vehicles that exceed 8 feet 6 inches in width and/or have a gross vehicle weight (GVW) in excess of 80,000 pounds.
To learn more about this project and access real-time traffic updates to plan your commute, visit ritba.org.