By Steve Klamkin WPRO News
Reconstruction of the McCormick Quarry Bridge, dubbed the “Lincoln Logs bridge” was completed at about 2:00 o’clock Monday afternoon, nearly 15 hours ahead of its scheduled, 5:00 A.M. Tuesday morning deadline, earning the contractor the praise of state leaders as well as a financial bonus.
Traffic began rolling soon after Gov. Gina Raimondo and Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti met with reporters off Warren Avenue beneath the span. Alviti said the work went more quickly than expected because the so-called ‘Lincoln Logs’, or timbers shoring up the span tumbled quickly when the demolition work began on Friday night.
The “Lincoln Logs” label stuck when Vice President Joe Biden toured the span earlier this year.
“I was thinking about just as a kind of memento, we might cut a couple of ’em up as paperweights,” said Alviti. “Might send one of them to the Vice President.”
“Rhode Islanders deserve better,” said Gov. Raimondo. “They deserve better than to have their bridges held up by Lincoln Logs. You know, we’re getting work done for the people to make sure that their bridges are safe, people are going to be safe. And, by the way we did it in a way that saves taxpayer money and got it done over a weekend instead of over a month.”
Alviti said that this month, the DOT is “putting more than $50 million worth of construction on the streets. That will mean more bridges like these that will be fixed, more roadways that are fixed. About 31 bridges, I think, are included in that $50 million worth of projects that will come out this month alone.”
Combined, the southbound lanes of Route 114 that were rebuilt earlier in September and the McCormick Quarry Bridge carrying the northbound lanes cost $16.7 million. Alviti said that in a few weeks when the northbound lanes are repaved, the so-called “thump” bridge that causes vehicles to dip as they cross over another bridge spanning I-195 will be evened out and repaved.
The contractor, Manafort Brothers will be docked $9,000 for each hour for the three hours that the earlier, southbound project extended beyond the 5:00 A.M. deadline, but credited a similar amount for each of the nearly 15 hours that the latest McCormick Quarry Bridge came in ahead of schedule.
