PROVIDENCE — Construction to replace the Oxford Street Bridge on Interstate 95 in the city was completed this week, six months ahead of schedule and approximately $500,000 under budget, the R.I. Department of Transportation announced Thursday.
RIDOT, in a news release Thursday, said contractors used “accelerated bridge construction” methods to finish the $10.8 million replacement of the 56-year-old superstructure well in advance of the initial June 2020 deadline.
Such methods that were used included using premanufactured beam components and conducting lane shifts during the summertime when traffic volumes were lower than during other periods of the year.
“The quick replacement of the bridge is a testament to the project-management model we’ve adopted at RIDOT, with skillful coordination of all our road and bridge projects,” RIDOT Director Peter Alviti Jr. said in a statement. “At the Oxford Street Bridge, we replaced an entire highway bridge deck in one of the busiest stretches of highway in Rhode Island in less than two months with little traffic disruption. This is truly amazing.”
The project was part of RIDOT’s RhodeWorks infrastructure-improvement program.
