PAWTUCKET – Elected officials gathered on a closed off ramp Thursday to break ground on a new $106 million bridge carrying Interstate 95 over the Pawtucket River.
The new bridge will replace the deteriorating current bridge, which tractor-trailer trucks are forbidden to cross because of concerns about their weight.
The state constructed the original bridge in 1958 and starting banning 18-ton trucks in 2008, forcing truckers to detour through Pawtucket. The state hopes to lift the weight limit by the spring of 2012.
“The Pawtucket River Bridge is a critical link for Rhode Islanders and our nation’s interstate highway system,” said U.S. Sen. Jack Reed. “I am pleased to have secured federal funding to help replace this bridge so it can be opened to all traffic. This is a smart investment that will improve safety, ease traffic congestion, create jobs and get our economy moving again.”
The R.I. Department of Transportation said the new bridge would be constructed in phases to avoid closing Interstate 95. The new overpass will technically consist of three bridges: one carrying Route 95 south, another carrying Route 95 north and the on and off ramps to George and School streets.
Officials say the design of the bridge will create a gateway to Pawtucket. Plans call for wing-shaped concrete decorative features embedded with LED lighting.
The state has awarded the construction contract to a joint venture between S&R Corp., of Lowell, Mass., and PIHL Inc., of Canton, Mass.
