Lane closures coming to Newport Pell Bridge for next phase of rehab project

PHASE II of the Newport Pell Bridge road deck replacement project is scheduled to begin Monday. Above, a rendering of the traffic pattern shifts that will accompany the phase. / COURTESY R.I. TURNPIKE AND BRIDGE AUTHORITY
PHASE II of the Newport Pell Bridge road deck replacement project is scheduled to begin Monday. Above, a rendering of the traffic pattern shifts that will accompany the phase. / COURTESY R.I. TURNPIKE AND BRIDGE AUTHORITY

NEWPORT – The second phase of the Newport Pell Bridge road deck project, part of the structural rehabilitation work on the 60-year-old bridge, is scheduled to begin on Monday, Aug. 12, the R.I. Turnpike and Bridge Authority announced Wednesday.

The Phase II portion of the project will see resumed hydro demolition work and replacement of the bridge deck. The phase will require permanent lane closures.

Work on the bridge began in 2017. Phase I of the road deck project, which included the installation of digital lane control signals, work underneath the road deck and routine maintenance, began in May 2019.

RITBA said that speed on the bridge will be limited to 25 miles per hour during Phase II work. Construction will take place day and night.

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During rush hour travel, movable median barriers will be used to keep two lanes open in the direction of the heaviest traffic: into Newport in the morning and out of Newport in the evening rush hour.

During the construction phase, vehicles that have a width exceeding 8 feet and 6 inches will not be permitted on the bridge, nor will vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight of more than 80,000 pounds.

This portion of the project has been contracted to Aetna Bridge Co. for $19 million. The completion date is scheduled to be December 2020.

RITBA said that its analysis of the bridge showed that the deck most in need of repair is 4,500 feet of the bridge on the East approach on the Newport side of the bridge.

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