Repairs begin on Park Ave. bridge

Completion eyed within 30 days; local commuters, businesses cope

Daniel Kittredge
Posted 7/1/15

Repairs to the Park Avenue railroad bridge have begun following last week’s emergency closure, while commuters and nearby businesses continue to cope with the situation.

The 109-year-old bridge, …

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Repairs begin on Park Ave. bridge

Completion eyed within 30 days; local commuters, businesses cope

Posted

Repairs to the Park Avenue railroad bridge have begun following last week’s emergency closure, while commuters and nearby businesses continue to cope with the situation.

The 109-year-old bridge, which runs over Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor between Wellington and Elmwood avenues, was ordered closed after inspectors found significant deterioration in its wood deck, according to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT). The bridge is among more than 200 in the state classified as “structurally deficient.” It was last rehabilitated in 1991.

A $411,000 contract for total replacement of the wood deck was awarded last week to John Rocchio Corp., which RIDOT states was the lowest of five bidders. The project is expected to take 30 days, although that schedule is contingent upon weather and coordinating with Amtrak to provide for electrical outages that allow for access under the bridge.

RIDOT officials have removed the bridge’s asphalt, and the contractor has begun mobilizing at the site. Once the project is complete, a 16-ton weight limit will remain in effect for the structure.

As the project moves ahead, plans for a complete replacement of the bridge are being developed. RIDOT also said it is working closely with federal officials to identify possible funding sources, including grants.

“We have been working diligently on this issue since we were notified of the bridge’s condition and closed it last week,” RIDOT Director Peter Alviti Jr. said in a news release. “We are accelerating all phases of this project, including design and contractor selection, and are committed to getting this vital link restored for the community in the shortest time possible.”

Mayor Allan Fung and Economic Development Director Larry DiBoni on Monday made a visit to several businesses along the closed roadway between Wellington and Elmwood.

Jennifer Matteson, officer manager at the speech, occupational and physical therapy clinic CBS Therapy, said the clinic’s employees and clients were “definitely taken by surprise” by the sudden closure. She said many of the initial problems created by the situation have been addressed, and she spoke highly of the assistance received from Cranston Police, RIDOT and the mayor’s office.

“I feel like, as a whole, we got the best support we could have under the circumstances,” she said.

Fung on Monday spoke with RIDOT and Amtrak officials at the scene and said he is pleased to see the process moving rapidly.

“I think all of us were caught by surprise,” he said of the closure. “If you need us, just call.”

Due to its classification as structurally deficient, the Park Avenue bridge is subject to annual inspections. Before last week, the bridge had last been inspected in September 2014.

The latest inspection, according to RIDOT, was part of an “accelerated” inspection effort for bridges deemed structurally deficient. That process was initiated in May of this year and is set to be complete by mid-August.

An outside firm conducting the latest inspections recommended the closure after finding the planks of the wood deck were being strained by automobile traffic. RIDOT and Federal Highway Administration officials subsequently confirmed the findings.

The closure has resulted in controversy, with House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello of Cranston, whose law office is a short distance from the bridge, and the mayor both calling for an investigation.

Mattiello has questioned what occurred during the September 2014 inspection and in the months leading up to the sudden closure.

“If they’ve inspected it very recently and found that it’s deficient and unsafe, they did the right thing by closing the bridge,” he told WPRI. “I’m frustrated that, I believe, nine months ago the bridge was inspected, found to be safe but probably in a deficient condition, and the next time they look at it, it’s deficient? It didn’t get deficient overnight.”

Mattiello has said he holds neither Gov. Gina Raimondo nor Alviti responsible for the situation, nor for issues at RIDOT they inherited.

Fung, the runner-up in last year’s gubernatorial election, was sharper in his criticism and explicitly questioned the timing of the closure. Before its adjournment last week, the General Assembly had been considering Raimondo’s proposal to institute tolls for large trucks to fund a major bridge repair project.

Fung, in a statement, called for a “thorough investigation into circumstances surrounding the timing” of the closure, stating that he is “particularly concerned by the fact that only nine months ago the structure was inspected and deemed passable at that time. Any connection between the timing of General Assembly action on tolling legislation and the bridge closure would be irresponsible and completely unacceptable.”

“Our city is greatly impacted by this sudden closure, and I am urging the Governor and RIDOT to work as expediently as possible to repair, including investigating any temporary measures that would allow passenger vehicle traffic to cross in the interim, and then fully re-open this bridge to all traffic as soon as possible,” the statement continues.

Raimondo has rejected the call for an investigation, while pledging accountability for anyone found to have failed in his or her duties.

“Thank God we found this before somebody got hurt,” she told members of the media last week. “Frankly, I’m not terribly surprised. Our bridges are the worst in the country. If we don’t take action, we’re going to see more of this.”

The bridge remains open to pedestrians and cyclists. Signs have been posted regarding detours.

Motorists traveling eastbound on Park Avenue are directed to use Reservoir Avenue north and take the Route 10 south on-ramp to return to Park Avenue.

Those traveling west on Park Avenue are advised to use the Route 10 north on-ramp and use the Reservoir Avenue south exit to return to Park Avenue.

Local traffic is advised to use Elmwood and Wellington avenues.

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