The Crook Point Bascule Bridge, abandoned for nearly 50 years over the Seekonk River, sits at a crossroads, costing the state $10,000 a month while the city of Providence tries to figure out a way to save what has become an unintentional local icon.
The latest chapter of that effort: Mayor Brett P. Smiley is attempting to create a public authority that would maintain and redevelop the old train bridge, which has been stuck open since 1976. Legislation to create the authority has been submitted by state Rep. Rebecca Kislak, D-Providence.
But is it worth the effort?
The R.I. Department of Transportation owns the bridge and says it has cost nearly $700,000 for maintenance and inspections over six years, and an additional $14,125 a year in insurance.
The agency has allotted $6.5 million in its state-approved 10-year plan to demolish the span. “The structure as it stands today is so badly deteriorated it cannot be repurposed for any use; it needs to be removed,” said Charles St. Martin, RIDOT chief of public affairs.
But some city officials disagree.
While RIDOT frames the bridge as a hazard, Smiley sees opportunity, envisioning it as a public destination.
Smiley spokesperson Joshua Estrella said the mayor considers the bridge “an iconic part of Providence's history and infrastructure,” and he compared its potential transformation to the pedestrian bridge across the Providence River that used the piers of the old Interstate 195 span. The $22 million project has become one of the city’s most popular public spaces.
“Mayor Smiley has made clear that he does not want it demolished,” Estrella said.
Smiley is not alone in that view. Marisa Brown, executive director of the Providence Preservation Society, said the drawbridge has far more community value than its deteriorating condition suggests. The span was constructed in 1908 to serve passenger and freight trains traveling to and from downtown Providence, but it was abandoned in 1976 and the movable 125-foot section left in the upright position.
“People feel strongly about this structure; it’s part of their daily lives and how they experience the city,” Brown said. “There’s a quiet but very real base of people who care deeply about this bridge.”
Turning that vision into reality comes with unanswered financial questions.
Under Smiley’s proposal, the public Crook Point Bridge Authority would oversee planning, fundraising, and community engagement, shifting long-term costs and liability from the state.
The legislation would create a three-member board that could buy, lease and hold property, employ staff and consultants and issue bonds and borrow money. The proposal is for the city own the structure.
Estrella likened the setup similar to the public entity that operates the Rhode Island Convention Center.
RIDOT says it is ready to transfer the bridge to the city of Providence, but the city has yet to accept it. Estrella said he believes the creation of the authority is the last obstacle to changing the bridge ownership.
What would the price tag be for redevelopment? Estrella said the dollar figure hasn't been determined since future plans for the site haven't been formulated yet.
Funding sources haven't been identified either, Estrella said, but added that the city anticipates substantial fundraising and philanthropic support.
Brown pointed to New York City’s High Line and Chicago’s Bloomingdale Trail as proof that abandoned rail infrastructure can become thriving public spaces.
In 2021, the city held a design competition for the Crook Point bridge, which drew more than 80 proposals. The winning design called for the bridge to be converted into a pier accessible to the public but disconnected from the upright portion of the bridge. That raised portion would be adorned with multicolored LED lights. But those plans were never acted upon.
“If you engage the right designers and think creatively about adaptive reuse, this could have a huge impact on Providence,” Brown said. “These projects generate community and economic value.”
But the time to act on preserving the bridge is now, she said.
On Feb. 4, the bridge was added to the Providence Preservation Society’s 2026 “Most Endangered Places” list, a designation that Brown said signals time is running out.
Definitely worth saving! It is a symbol of Rhode Island’s precedence in the 19th and mid-20th of railroad infrastructure as well as Rhode Island’s industrial past. If New York and Chicago can do it, we can do it!