Hopkins says bridge in Cranston to get ‘interim repairs’

CRANTON, R.I. (WLNE) — Cranston Mayor Ken Hopkins said that the Kimberly Lane bridge will be receiving “interim repair work” in the coming days.

Hopkins said that structural deficiencies in the bridge were found by the Pare Corporation, which has been performing a structural review of seven bridges and seven culverts in the city.

The bridge travels over the Furnace Hill Brook and is the main entrance for the homes in the Hillside farms subdivision.

The Cranston highway division will manage the work, which will involve installing steel plates to reinforce the under road and place new pavement over the brook.

Work is planned to repair one side of the bridge at a time to minimize its effect on drivers.

“In 2023, inspectors from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation had inspected the bridge and found its condition acceptable that did not warrant any immediate load bearing restrictions,” Hopkins said. “The Pare inspectors found significant deterioration under the bridge, likely caused from recent extensive flooding that overrode the riverbanks and flooded the Phenix Avenue area at the plat entrance.”

Hopkins added that he sent a letter to homeowners that will be affected by the repairs, telling them that the Pare Corporation is working on a long-term plan to repair the bridge.