- Sakonnet River Bridge
Infobox Bridge
bridge_name = Sakonnet River Bridge
caption = Sakonnet River Bridge, 2005
official_name =
carries =
crosses =Sakonnet River
locale = between Portsmouth and Tiverton
maint =
id =
design =truss bridge
mainspan =
length =
width =
height =
load =
clearance =
below =
traffic =
begin =
complete = 1956
open =
closed =
toll =
map_cue =
map_
map_text =
map_width =
coordinates = coord|41.638469|N|71.213221|W|display=title,inline|name=Sakonnet River Bridge
lat =
long =The Sakonnet River Bridge is a four-lane
truss bridge spanning theSakonnet River in easternRhode Island . The bridge carries RI 24 and RI 138 between the communities of Portsmouth and Tiverton,Rhode Island . The bridge is scheduled to be replaced by an updated design, with construction work scheduled to finish in 2015.The Sakonnet River Bridge was built in 1956 as a replacement for the Stone Bridge, about 0.8 mi (1.3 km) to the south, destroyed during
Hurricane Carol in August 1954. It became part of RI 24 during the 1960s after the completion of the Portsmouth and Tiverton Expressways. At one point, it was briefly considered for inclusion as part of the never-built Interstate 895.Bicycles are not permitted on this bridge. [ [http://www.dot.state.ri.us/bikeri/ Bike Rhode Island] and Guide to Bicycling in the Ocean State 2005-2006,
Rhode Island Department of Transportation ]The bridge is closed to heavy commercial vehicles weighing over 18 tons. Vehicles over this weight limit are rerouted over the Mount Hope bridge via RI 136/114. [ [http://www.dot.ri.gov/traffic/Sakonnetdetour.html] , Rhode Island Dept of Transportation, accessed 2008-08-01]
Replacement
By the late 1990s, the Sakonnet River Bridge's design had become obsolete, and transportation planners began to develop a plan for the bridge's future. In 2003, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation announced plans for a $120 million (USD) replacement bridge to be built just north of the existing bridge. The state will solicit bids for bridge replacement work in fall 2008, and the bridge is expected to open in 2011. [cite web
title = Sakonnet River Bridge
publisher = Haley & Aldrich, Inc
url = http://www.haleyaldrich.com/nodes/48.aspx?path=/capabilities/infrastructure_development/sakonnet/
accessdate = 2008-07-08 ]References
External links
* [http://rhodeisland-philatelic.com/rhodeisland/postcard82.htm Photograph] of Sakonnet River Bridge, circa 1970.
* [http://www.commonwealth-eng.com/sakonnet.html Web site] containing engineering impact documents for the replacement of the Sakonnet River Bridge.
* [http://www.eastbayri.com/story/317123424023131.php Newspaper article] about the replacement of the Sakonnet River Bridge.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.