By Steve Klamkin WPRO News
A contractor that plans to replace a 148-foot section of the East Shore Expressway on southbound Route 114 just off I-195 this weekend has a financial incentive to complete the work in an 80-hour time frame.
Manafort Brothers, Inc. can earn an additional $9,000 for every hour it completes the $16.7 million project ahead of schedule; while facing a $9,000 penalty for every hour the job takes beyond the scheduled completion time, at 5:00 A.M. Tuesday morning.
The project, just yards from the intersection with eastbound Interstate 195 in East Providence employs innovative construction techniques, said Rhode Island Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti.
“We actually built the new bridge right adjacent to where the old bridge is, and within an 80-hour period, we’re going to demolish the old bridge and take this new bridge and put it in place, replacing the old bridge,” said Alviti. The work is set to begin at 7:00 P.M. Friday.
Traffic will be detoured, as exit 7 off I-195 and sections of Warren Avenue are closed during the demolition and installation.
Beginning September 23, a similar demolition and replacement of a shorter section of the northbound section of the East Shore Expressway will take place, also within an 80-hour time frame.
“The bridge weighs just north of 800 tons,” said Jason LaForge, project manager for Manafort Brothers at the construction site on Thursday. He said that once the existing span is demolished, a special lift apparatus will hoist the pre-built replacement section into place.
The DOT says it would take a year to replace the bridge segments using traditional construction techniques, and that the replacement project is intended to eliminate a restriction that limits trucks that can use the spans to just 17 tons.
