Mount HOpe Bridge
Mount Hope Bridge

Good morning, Newport! 👋 Today is Thursday, Aug. 14, the 226th day of 2025. There are 139 days left in the year.

Today’s Weather: A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. South wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

🚨 You need to know

The Mount Hope Bridge will close to all traffic tonight at 7 p.m. as the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority begins a four-day resurfacing project, weather permitting.

The bridge connecting Bristol and Portsmouth will remain closed until 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 18, while crews mill the road surface and apply an ultra-thin bonded overlay from curb to curb.

“We appreciate the public’s patience as we get this work done,” said Lori Caron Silveira, executive director of the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority. “We know that everyone will welcome a smoother ride over the bridge and hope that the advance notice will help people make their plans to seek alternate routes for that weekend.”

The closure will also affect public transit service. The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority will detour Route 60 and Route 61x during the bridge closure, with service drastically reduced through Sunday.

Route 60 will not provide direct service between Providence and Newport while the bridge is closed. Passengers needing to travel between those cities should use Route 14 or Route 24L instead. RIPTA will offer supplemental express trips on Route 14 after 7 p.m. while the bridge is closed.

Route 61x will bypass Warren, Bristol and Barrington on Friday, instead traveling express from Portsmouth Park & Ride to Providence.

No emergency vehicles will be allowed to cross during the closure. The Authority has been working with Bristol and Portsmouth town leaders and first responders to coordinate communication about timing and detours.

If severe weather occurs, the project will be rescheduled for a weekend in September.

The new surface is expected to last approximately five years. The bridge was last fully redecked in 1985, and a complete bridge redecking is part of the Authority’s capital projects in coming years.

Transit riders can find temporary schedules at RIPTA.com/detour or call 401-781-9400. Additional bridge information is available at www.ritba.org and on the Authority’s social media accounts.

What else you should know

⚠️ Reminder: The Mount Hope Bridge will close to all traffic for four days starting this evening as crews work to resurface the span connecting Bristol and Portsmouth.

🗓️ The Touro Synagogue Foundation will host its 78th annual George Washington Letter Reading on Sunday at the Old Colony House, marking a change of venue for the event that for generations had been held at Touro Synagogue.

☘️ The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians of Newport County celebrated Stephanie O’Hanley as their 2025 Lady Hibernian of the Year at a cocktail reception July 31 at Hibernian Hall.

👉 Newport City Council hosted a Regular Council Meeting last night. We’ll have more reporting from the nearly three-hour meeting throughout the day.

🗓️ Newport County residents and visitors can choose from colonial walking tours, live music venues, farmers markets and outdoor activities throughout the week, with highlights including the Hellenic Fest, coaching weekend events and the annual George Washington Letter Reading. Things to do this week and weekend.

📰 The Latest from What’sUpNewp

Comic – Sour Grapes: Mist

Sour Grapes is a comic about “Aesop”, a miserable flying dog and his odd friends, all living in a problematic and troubled world.

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📈 Yesterday’s most-read

The following were yesterday’s most-read What’sUpNewp articles.

  1. Obituary: Steven Hall
  2. Tribute bands to perform Carole King, James Taylor music at The JPT in November
  3. ‘Shattered Ice’ Rhode Island premiere at The JPT Film & Event Center to spotlight mental health awareness
  4. Fort Adams Trust announces return of free summer concert series
  5. New construction Newport home sells for $3.45 million
  6. Newport to host 12 Metre North American Championship in September
  7. Watching ‘The Gilded Age’ at The Elms: A thrilling way to take in the explosive finale
  8. Rhode Island Energy upgrading electrical infrastructure in 5 Portsmouth neighborhoods
  9. What Sold: A look at 14 recent property sales in Newport County (Aug. 4 – 8)
  10. Obituary: Arlene Patricia Dovel

📅 What’s Up Today

Weather Forecast

  • Today: A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. South wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
  • Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. Light and variable wind becoming north around 6 mph after midnight.
  • Tomorrow: Sunny, with a high near 80. Northeast wind around 11 mph.

Marine Forecast

  • Today: Variable winds less than 5 kt becoming S around 6 kt in the afternoon. A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Patchy fog before 9am. Seas 1 ft or less.
  • Tonight: Variable winds 5 kt or less. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm. Seas 1 ft or less.
  • Tomorrow: NNE wind around 10 kt becoming ENE in the afternoon. Sunny. Seas 1 ft or less.
  • The coastal water temperature is 75 degrees.

Sun, Moon & Tide

  • Sunrise at 5:53 am. Sunset at 7:46 pm. 13 hours & 52 minutes of sun.
  • High tide at 12:22 pm. Low tide at 5:09 am & 5:58 pm.
  • The lunar phase is a Waning Gibbous.

Things To Do

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Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...