State will receive money to remove sunken crane from Providence River

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Officials have announced that a $1.5 million grant has been awarded to Rhode Island to remove a sunken crane and barge. 

The 114-foot barge, which sank into the river, is located at the end of Public Street in South Providence and sank during a nor’easter in October 2017.

Rhode Island state officials announced today that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded a $1,500,512 grant to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

According to a release, after the removal of the barge, RIDEM is planning to partner with The Steel Yard to engage community groups and students to help transform materials recovered from the barge into “community-informed art and amenities for a public waterfront access point at the end of Public Street.”

Officials state that the barge poses no immediate environmental hazard and does not obstruct commerce in the port.

However, multiple efforts over the years to remove the barge from the river have been sidelined by funding issues and potential environmental hazards.