By Sam Wroblewski 630wpro.com
The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority says a new barrier will be installed on the Claiborne Pell Bridge in Newport to prevent head-on collisions from vehicles in opposite lanes.
A spokesperson for RITBA, Eric Offenberg, said the new barrier will replace the reflective yellow pylons which were installed earlier this year.
“The temporary devices bring attention to the center divider and two-way traffic; the median barrier will actually eliminate the possibility of head-on collisions,” said Offenberg.
Offenberg said RITBA has been designing a new barrier since the spring and said it will be constructed of concrete.
“This is an older bridge, so it is not built in accordance with today’s standards where you have very large shoulder areas and larger lane widths; so we have to accommodate what we were built with and this barrier does that.”
An elderly man died last year from injuries he sustained after he crossed over into the opposite lane on the bridge and struck another driver.
