Major repair job on Mt. Hope Bridge begins

BRISTOL/PORTSMOUTH — And so it begins.

The first phase of the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority’s (RITBA) major improvement project on the Mt. Hope Bridge began Thursday morning. It will last through late November or early December and will necessitate daily lane closures from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There will also be some night work on the bridge in November from 8 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. which will require periodic lane closures. 

To get the latest on construction activity and real-time traffic, visit RITBA’s traffic site at RITBA.org. The site provides the latest information concerning lane closures, construction activity and traffic delays for the Mt. Hope, Sakonnet River, Newport Pell and Jamestown Verrazzano bridges, as well as the Route 138 Connector.

The Mt. Hope Bridge job is part of RITBA’s 10-year, $223 million capital plan, which the Authority says will ensure the safety and integrity of the four bridges and other assets under the jurisdiction of RITBA. About $50 million is being allocated for the Mt. Hope Bridge, and most of the work involves steel superstructure repairs and retrofits, bridge deck repairs to avoid a complete deck replacement, and main cable rehabilitation and dehumidification.

The Mt. Hope Bridge job begins could last for the next two and a half years.

The 87-year-old span, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was the largest suspension bridge in New England at the time of construction. RITBA wants to extend the life of the bridge because it says the cost of replacing it — and the resulting disruption — would be astronomical.

Work begins with RITBA repairing potholes and the delaminated concrete overlay on the bridge deck. This job will take place again in late 2017 and as needed after that. 

RITBA will also replace the south approach slab from the Boyd’s Lane/Bristol Ferry Road intersection to the bridge on the Portsmouth side. This job is expected to be performed from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. over 10 to 15 nights, with the area reduced to single lane during that time. No work will take place on Friday or Saturday nights, RITBA says.

Working from a barge, contractors will also repair cracks and chips mainly on the north face of the anchorage concrete wall on the Portsmouth side, with some work on the south face as well. (The east and west faces were previously repaired.)

RITBA will also test three different concrete and asphalt overlay materials in preparation for a future overlay project. The work will be done overnight and RITBA will be monitoring the results to select the best material.

After that work is complete, RITBA will undergo painting and steel repair on the south approach. RITBA has already finished similar work to the north approach on the Bristol side.

In a job expected to take two years, everything will be blasted to bare metal before painting, and steel will be repaired and rivets replaced as necessary. Everything that’s blasted away will be contained so it doesn’t go into the water or in neighborhoods, according to RITBA.