The Sakonnet River Bridge is a four-lane bridge spanning the

Sakonnet River The Sakonnet River is a tidal strait in the state of Rhode Island which flows approximately 14 miles between Mount Hope Bay and Rhode Island Sound. It separates Aquidneck Island from the eastern portion of Newport County. Crossings Below is ...

in eastern Rhode Island. The bridge carries RI 24 and

RI 138 Route 138 is a numbered State Highway running in Rhode Island. It is the longest state numbered route in Rhode Island, and the second longest highway after U.S. Route 1 in Rhode Island, US 1. Route 138 begins in Exeter, Rhode Island, Exeter at ...

between the communities of Portsmouth and Tiverton, Rhode Island. The current bridge is a box girder bridge that opened in 2012 at a cost of $120 million (USD). The previous bridge was a truss bridge that was built in 1956 and demolished in 2012 due to structural deficiencies. The truss bridge had previously served as a replacement for the Stone Bridge, about to the south. 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 Interstate 895 (I-895) is an Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as the Harbor Tunnel Thruway, the highway runs between one junction with I-95 in Elkridge and another interchange with I-95 on the east side of Baltimore. I- ...

Tolls

In 2003, state officials declared there would be no tolls on the bridge. In 2012, governor Lincoln Chafee reversed this decision. In August 2013 after the opening of the new bridge, the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority began collecting a 10-cent toll from drivers with an

E-ZPass E-ZPass is an electronic toll collection system used on toll roads, toll bridges, and toll tunnels in the Eastern United States, Midwestern United States, and Southern United States. The E-ZPass Interagency Group (IAG) consists of member agencie ...

transponder using an open road tolling gantry. Those without E-ZPass were expected to call the Authority's office to arrange payment. The toll was imposed in order to keep open the future possibility of higher tolls due to a quirk in federal law. From August 2013 to May 2014, the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority collected a total of $677,570. The toll was removed in June 2014 and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation stated in 2019 that they would not impose any tolls on the bridge in the future. After the toll was removed, opponents asked for a refund of the collected tolls, and that all tolling equipment be dismantled.

References

External links

Web site
containing engineering impact documents for the replacement of the Sakonnet River Bridge.
Web site
for Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority Sakonnet River Bridge Decorative Lighting requests. Road bridges in Rhode Island Bridges in Newport County, Rhode Island Narragansett Bay Box girder bridges in the United States Truss bridges in the United States Buildings and structures in Portsmouth, Rhode Island Buildings and structures in Tiverton, Rhode Island Bridges completed in 1956 1956 establishments in Rhode Island Former toll bridges in Rhode Island Bridges completed in 2012 2012 establishments in Rhode Island {{RhodeIsland-bridge-struct-stub