Demolition of the old Sakonnet River Bridge to begin

By: News Staff

news@abc6.com

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. – The process of removing the old Sakonnet River Bridge began Wednesday according to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation.

The bridge closed in 2012 and a new Sakonnet River Bridge was opened.

"We’re pleased to inform citizens on both sides of the Sakonnet River that the long-overdue removal of the old bridge is finally underway," RIDOT Director Peter Alviti Jr. said. "We thank everyone ahead of time for their patience and any disruption the demolition activity may cause. Rest assured, we’ll work closely with our contractor to minimize the impact of this work and complete it as quickly as possible."

There are two contracts to remove the entire bridge, and the first one will focus on the deck and superstructure elements of the bridge. The demolition will remove 17 spans between the piers. That totals 6.2 million pounds of steel and 2,700 cubic yards of concrete.

Protective netting will be put in place before the demolition to discourage birds from nesting on the old structure of the bridge during the winter season.

RIDOT will then hold a new engineering inspection of the bridge and work to finalize the demolition schedule.

The demolition is set to start this spring, and take one year to complete with final completion in the summer of 2018.

RIDOT will take apart the old bridge by using mechanical methods that may cause noise disruptions and local traffic on both sides of the bridge.

No long-term travel lane closures are expected on the new Sakonnet River Bridge or on Route 24.

Marine traffic is expected to be disrupted, but the main channel will remain open at all times during the boating season through early October.

The boat ramp on Riverside Drive in Tiverton will remain open.

The first phase of demolition is expected to cost approximately $15 million. The second phase will be addressing in-water and land-based substructure elements.

According to RIDOT, controlled explosive demolition may be used.

There is not a cost estimate for the second phase yet.

© WLNE-TV / ABC6 2017