RIDOT Re-Opens the Hussey Bridge Eight Months Ahead of Schedule

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) today held a ceremony with
local officials and community representatives to mark the re-opening of the Clarence
L. Hussey Memorial Bridge in Wickford. In order to expedite repairs to the bridge,
it was closed from April 1 to June 3, 2016, and again on September 6, 2016 for its
second of two closure periods. RIDOT opened the bridge to traffic on October 27,
2016.
RIDOT reached substantial completion approximately eight months ahead of the project
schedule. The project completed on budget. As part of its «punch list» to close
out the job, RIDOT will replace the original ceramic identification tablets with
new signage. RIDOT will also install an interpretive sign panel before the end
of the year. The repairs to the bridge remove it from the state’s list of structurally
deficient bridges. The Hussey Bridge was added to this list in 2009.
The original Clarence L. Hussey Memorial Bridge dates back to 1925 and carries
approximately
13,600 vehicles per day on Route 1A (Boston Neck Road) over Wickford Cove. Through
this $3.2 million project, which included a $2.1 million bridge rehabilitation
contract,
with incentives, and a budget contingency of $100,000, RIDOT maintained as many
of the historical elements of the bridge as possible, including the concrete through
arch and its railings. The project schedule called for substantial completion to
be reached in July of 2017, including 49 days of schedule contingency. RIDOT achieved
substantial completion on November 1, 2016.
«We were very pleased with the cooperation among the town, the contractors, and
the residents that made the closure this spring and again in September and October
go so smoothly. We are delighted to open this historic and highly used bridge earlier
than anticipated,» said Peter Alviti, Jr. Director of RIDOT.
All steel components were painted a graphite color to match the original, and all
concrete surfaces received a special mineral coating designed to better withstand
the natural elements. The improvements include pedestrian-specific safety enhancements,
sidewalks, and roadway and railing repairs.
Since the second closure began back in September, RIDOT made structural steel repairs,
structural concrete repairs, installed an electrical lighting system with new LED
fixtures, and paved the bridge approaches.