RIDOT’s Special Bridge Inspections Lead to Immediate Repairs for Dozens

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation said an accelerated inspection it conducted in recent months of 230 structurally deficient bridges led to emergency closures in a few areas and immediate repairs at 28 structures.

RIDOT launched the special inspections program in May and finished on schedule by mid-August. It resulted in an emergency closure and accelerated reconstruction of the Park Avenue Bridge in Cranston; emergency lane closures and repairs at the Pawtucket Avenue Bridge in East Providence, and the Mineral Spring Avenue Bridge in Pawtucket; and minor repairs at more than two dozen others.

 Alviti

The agency began the program to inspect all the state’s structurally deficient bridges after four separate bridge problems were reported over eight weeks earlier this year.

“As we focus on rebuilding our infrastructure, our top priority is keeping Rhode Islanders safe,” said Gov. Gina Raimondo. “This accelerated inspection program helped us get engineers on the ground to put eyes on every one of our structurally deficient bridges. This is just the type of quick, coordinated action we needed to understand exactly what condition our bridges are in, and to move forward with plans to address the problem head-on.”

The agency said one out of every five Rhode Island bridges is structurally deficient, which according to 2014 Federal Highway Administration data ranks the state last nationwide in terms of structurally deficient bridges.

“Given what I saw in my first eight weeks, I suspected that there were other bridges that needed to be addressed,” said RIDOT Director Peter Alviti, who became the agency CEO earlier this year. “While the results are certainly not surprising, they helped us target several structures that needed immediate attention before a larger problem developed.”

RIDOT said that among the most serious findings was the Park Avenue Bridge, which was closed in June after an inspection found significant deterioration in the bridge’s timber deck. It was opened less than a month later following an emergency repair contract.

One news report said it cost $500,000 to fix that structure, and that the cost to make all the bridge repairs would be in the millions. RIDOT said that of the 28 bridges where inspections resulted in “critical findings” that warranted immediate action, most involved removal of loose concrete from various bridge components.

The inspections also found the Pawtucket Avenue Bridge in East Providence showed continued deterioration of the pier columns, which required the department to install timber shoring. At the Mineral Spring Avenue Bridge in Pawtucket, significant deterioration was found in stone supports of the bridge arch, prompting a temporary 18-ton weight restriction and narrowed lanes until repairs are complete.

And RIDOT’s regular inspections program found significant issues with two more bridges in recent weeks, requiring emergency repairs at the Miantonomi Bridge in Richmond, and lane restrictions to keep traffic off the shoulders of the Lafayette Railroad Bridge in North Kingstown.