Pawtucket River Bridge
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The Pawtucket River Bridge is a twin span, six-lane highway bridge that carries Interstate 95 (I-95) over the
Seekonk River The Seekonk River is a tidal extension of the Providence River in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately 8 km (5 mi). The name may be derived from an Algonquian word for skunk, or for black goose. The river is home to t ...
in
Pawtucket, Rhode Island Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence and East Providence to the south, Central Falls ...
. The original bridge was built in 1958 and rehabilitated in 1996. The bridge was demolished in 2012-13 and replaced with a new
deck arch bridge An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct ( ...
that was completed in summer 2013.RIDOT info
/ref> In November 2016, the bridge was officially renamed the James E. Doyle Pawtucket River Bridge in memory of the former mayor of Pawtucket, who died two months earlier.


Deterioration

In November 2007, in the aftermath of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse in Minnesota, the Pawtucket River Bridge was declared structurally deficient and in danger of further deterioration, forcing the
State of Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...
to ban vehicles with more than 2 axles and weight over . Truck drivers violating this restriction faced
fine Fine may refer to: Characters * Sylvia Fine (''The Nanny''), Fran's mother on ''The Nanny'' * Officer Fine, a character in ''Tales from the Crypt'', played by Vincent Spano Legal terms * Fine (penalty), money to be paid as punishment for an offe ...
s of $3,000 per violation. State police vehicles were posted on both sides of the bridge to enforce the restriction. Truckers were required to seek alternate routes, often exiting and passing through residential neighborhoods in Pawtucket and
Central Falls, Rhode Island Central Falls is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,583 at the 2020 census. With an area of only , it is the smallest and most densely populated city in the smallest state, and the 27th most densely ...
. Residents of these cities complained about the traffic, noise, and road deterioration that these trucks are causing. Truckers continued to cross the bridge in spite of the fines. From November 2007 through February 2009, state police issued more than 5,600 violation notices and more than $3 million in fines. In 2011 it was reported that the
state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...
of Rhode Island had collected around $7 million in fines. The state has not shared the revenues with the cities of Pawtucket and Central Falls, which bear the brunt of the detours that the truckers must take. With the opening of the new South 95 bridge on 9/15/2012, the axle restriction has ceased.


Replacement

In 2010, construction began on a new replacement bridge that was built in three phases, beginning with a new span to the south of the old one, which opened to northbound traffic in early 2012. The original northbound span was then demolished and rebuilt. In September 2012, the new middle span opened to temporary southbound traffic, ending all weight restrictions on the Pawtucket River Bridge. The original southbound span was then demolished and rebuilt. The new $82 million bridge was completed in summer 2013 and all traffic shifted to their permanent lanes.


See also

* * *


References

Bridges in Providence County, Rhode Island Bridges on the Interstate Highway System Road bridges in Rhode Island Interstate 95 Bridges completed in 1958 1958 establishments in Rhode Island Arch bridges in the United States {{Interstate-stub