The Mount Hope Bridge is a two-lane
suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...
spanning the
Mount Hope Bay
Mount Hope Bay is a tidal estuary located at the mouth of the Taunton River on the Massachusetts and Rhode Island border. It is an arm of Narragansett Bay. The bay is named after Mount Hope (Rhode Island), Mount Hope, a small hill located on its ...
in eastern
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
at one of the narrowest gaps in
Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering , of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. Sma ...
. The bridge connects the Rhode Island towns of
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
and
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
and is part of
Route 114. Its towers are tall, the length of the main span is , and it offers of clearance over high water. The total length of the bridge is . The railing along the bridge is only and since 2016 there is a dedicated coalition (Bridging the Gap for Safety & Healing) advocating for the installation of physical safety/suicide prevention barriers on Mount Hope Bridge (along with the
Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge
The Claiborne Pell Bridge, commonly known as the Newport Bridge, is a suspension bridge operated by the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority that spans the East Passage of the Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island (northeastern United States). ...
,
Jamestown-Verrazzano and
Sakonnet Bridge).
History
Before the bridge was built, a ferry operated between Bristol and Portsmouth. The 1855
Bristol Ferry Light
Bristol Ferry Light is a historic lighthouse in Bristol, Rhode Island, United States. It is located on the shores of Narragansett Bay at Bristol Point, the northern land point of Mount Hope Bay at the base of the Mount Hope Bridge.
The two-sto ...
still remains at the base of the bridge. The Mount Hope Bridge was originally proposed in 1920, and the New Hope Bridge Company was incorporated in 1927, after a few years of resistance from the
Rhode Island General Assembly
The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower house, lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 re ...
and with the influence of state senator and business leader
William Henry Vanderbilt III
William Henry Vanderbilt III (November 24, 1901April 14, 1981) was Governor of Rhode Island and a member of the wealthy and socially prominent Vanderbilt family.
Early life
William Henry Vanderbilt III was born in New York City on November 24, ...
. Construction began on December 1, 1927, using a design by
Robinson & Steinman.
Serious structural problems were discovered four months before it was to open, forcing the contractor to disassemble and reassemble portions of the bridge.
On October 24, 1929, Vanderbilt gave the opening address at the dedication ceremony where a radio link was set up with
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
The $5,000,000 bridge was opened to traffic and, five days later, the
Wall Street Crash of 1929
The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...
occurred. It was owned by the Mount Hope Bridge Company as a private
toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge where a monetary charge (or ''toll'') is required to pass over. Generally the private or public owner, builder and maintainer of the bridge uses the toll to recoup their investment, in much the same way as a toll road. ...
, with the initial toll costing 60 cents one way, and
$1 for a round-trip. By 1931, the Bridge company went bankrupt, and prominent local brewer
Rudolf F. Haffenreffer acquired the bridge in receivership.
It remained the longest suspension bridge in New England for 40 years, until the
Claiborne Pell Bridge
The Claiborne Pell Bridge, commonly known as the Newport Bridge, is a suspension bridge operated by the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority that spans the East Passage of the Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island (northeastern United States). T ...
opened a few miles to the south in
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...
.
In 1971, the Mount Hope Bridge was considered for inclusion as part of the never-built
Interstate 895. This plan would have required the construction of a parallel span, and the entire I-895 plan was eventually dropped due to community opposition throughout the projected route.
The Mount Hope Bridge was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1976.
It underwent more than $15 million in renovations between 1998 and 2004.
Bicycles are permitted on this bridge, but bicyclists are advised to use extreme caution. The bridge also has narrow sidewalks on both sides, but pedestrians are strictly prohibited from using it.
The bridge is in close proximity to the East Bay Bikeway which runs from Providence to Bristol, RI. The bridge itself is demarcated as a continuation (not connected to the main bike path and not safe for those with young children as there is no sidewalk for the majority of the way) of that state bike route by the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, although it does not contain a bicycle lane or separate bike route. Signs have been posted on the bridge urging motorists to "share the road". A full, off-road bike route will be completed in an estimated three years which will cross the bridge from the current terminus of the bike path in Bristol and continue on the other side through the full length of Aquidneck Island to Newport.
Bridge tokens
The Mount Hope Bridge was purchased by the State of Rhode Island in 1954, with the company in
receivership
In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver—a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights"—especially in ca ...
. The bridge's toll was eventually reduced from 60 cents to 30 cents for a one-way trip. It was finally discontinued in 1998, after calculations indicated that the toll was not high enough to cover the cost of collecting it.
Image:Mount_Hope_Bridge_token_(front_&_back).jpg, Mount Hope Bridge one fare token, front and back
Image:Mount Hope Bridge commemorative medal (1929).jpg, Commemorative medal (front and back) struck in 1929, honoring the opening of the Mount Hope Bridge
See also
*
*
References
External links
Photograph of Mount Hope Bridge by Kathleen MurtaghMount Hope Bridge pageon BostonRoads.com
*
Mount Hope Bridge Recordsfrom the Rhode Island State Archives
Mount Hope Bridge building, opening and maintenance photographsfrom the Rhode Island State Archives
Report of the Mount Hope Toll Bridge Commissionfrom the Rhode Island State Archives
{{National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island
Narragansett Bay
Suspension bridges in Rhode Island
Bridges in Newport County, Rhode Island
Buildings and structures in Bristol, Rhode Island
Buildings and structures in Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Towers in Rhode Island
Bridges in Bristol County, Rhode Island
1929 establishments in Rhode Island
Bridges completed in 1929
National Register of Historic Places in Newport County, Rhode Island
Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island
Former toll bridges in Rhode Island
National Register of Historic Places in Bristol County, Rhode Island