By Newport This Week Staff | on September 22, 2022

Much-needed repairs are coming to the Pell Bridge thanks to an $82.5 million federal grant se­cured by Rhode Island’s Congres­sional delegation.

The grant was announced last week and will fund improvements to the deck, suspension system and towers that will extend the life of the bridge by 50 to 75 years. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s INFRA Grant Program. The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Au­thority’s original grant application sought $137.5 million.

The grant is being finalized be­tween federal and state agencies, a process expected to take about six months. Afterward, the design of the repairs will be determined, which should take about a year, before work begins.

The work includes installation of a large-scale dehumidification system intended to prevent cor­rosion of the bridge’s suspension cables spurred on by increased humidity resulting from climate change. The repairs were not slated to begin until 2030, but recent inspections identified the need to speed up the process. However, RITBA said the current cables and wires are safe.

“An inspection of cables on a suspension bridge is a pretty elab­orate process,” said Lori Caron Sil­veira, executive director of RITBA. “The inspection is costly because you have to unwrap the cables, see what you find and then re-wrap them.

“The last inspection report found it was time for this work, and we shouldn’t wait much longer. If a suspension bridge like the Pell Bridge were built today, the design . . . would include a dehumidifica­tion system, especially for a bridge that stands over a body of salt­water.”

The dehumidification system works like a consumer-grade de­humidifier, but on a grand scale. “They create a room and blow air into the wire that keeps water from being retained,” she said.

The work to the Pell Bridge will also include partial depth replacement and rehabilitation of the bridge deck in the main suspended span, as well as on the approach from Jamestown. Ac­cording to the press release, more severe storms resulting from cli­By mate change have led to salt and other treatments being applied more frequently, accelerating the loss of pavement quality. The new pavement will be made of a denser material that is more resistant to chemical deterioration.

“The Newport Pell Bridge is a critical asset that gets a lot of wear and tear from traffic and the ele­ments,” said U.S. Sen. Jack Reed. “We must take proper care of it, and that means proactive planning and maintenance.”

Funding will also be used to re­pair the tower elevators, replace the finger joints that accommo­date movement in the bridge, and repaint the towers. Acoustic mon­itoring will provide data on the bridge’s condition, and additional cameras and sensors will provide greater physical security.

Prior to the need for acceler­ated repairs, Silveira said RITBA was waiting until the Rhode Island Department of Transportation completed its $85 million bridge ramp realignment project. While that undertaking is estimated to be completed in 2024, she said the work to the Pell Bridge needed to begin, and she foresees no conflict with RIDOT. Additionally, RITBA and RIDOT communicate frequently on the bridge ramp re­alignment project, she said.

“We don’t think we’ll be in their way and we don’t think they’ll be in ours,” she said.

Similar work is needed on the Mount Hope Bridge that connects Portsmouth and Bristol. The in­creased rate of corrosion on that bridge’s suspension system was first identified in 2016. RITBA has applied to the federal government for funding to address the issue, but has been denied several times. The Pell Bridge is 53-years-old. The Mount Hope Bridge is 93-years-old.

“That’s a design and engineering that was completed in the 1920s,” Silveira said.

RITBA is responsible for over­seeing the Pell, Mount Hope, Sa­konnet River and Jamestown Ver­razzano bridges.

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