Photo by Steve Klamkin WPRO News
WPRO News and the Associated Press
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – The Rhode Island Department of Transportation has begun an $8.5 million project to replace the Great Island Bridge after a delay over federal funding.
The new bridge in Narragansett will be built in two phases. It will remain open to drivers and pedestrians during construction. A temporary signal will allow one lane of alternating traffic.
The 180-foot-long bridge, the only way on and off the island, was built in 1959. Its weight limit was lowered last year for more than a week while emergency repairs were completed. No commercial vehicles were allowed to use it during that time.
The replacement project was delayed earlier this year by a potential shortfall in the federal Highway Trust Fund, but Congress extended funding temporarily, allowing it to move ahead.
