The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) today announced it will begin replacement of the structurally deficient Shippee Bridge in Burrillville, and will do so in the shortest amount of time possible by closing the bridge to all traffic and using accelerated bridge construction techniques to expedite the project.
The closure is scheduled for Monday, April 4 and will be in place for approximately 120 days, reopening in early August. The closure will reduce the construction time by about four months, thus lessening the impact to the motoring public and to the environment.
Through a $2.2 million contract, with a budget contingency of $52,600, RIDOT will replace the bridge with a new structure using accelerated construction techniques, including the use of precast box beams that will be assembled off site and put into place, and cast in place structural segments.
The bridge, which dates back to 1890, carries approximately 1,400 cars per day on Route 98 (Sherman Farm Road) over the Nipmuc River in Burrillville. The bridge has had a 10-ton weight limit in place since 2008, requiring trucks and school buses to follow a lengthy detour around the bridge. Once the bridge has been replaced, the detour, weight limit and structurally deficient status will be removed.
During the closure, traffic will be directed to follow the same detour that has been in place for trucks, which involves using nearby Route 96 (Callahan School Street/Round Top Road) which runs parallel to Route 98, and Brook Road. A detour map with turn-by-turn directions is available on RIDOT's website at www.dot.ri.gov/detourmaps.
For safety reasons during construction, effective Friday, March 25, RIDOT will need to close the RIDEM boat ramp for the Clear River and the parking area located next to the bridge. Recreational users are advised to seek alternate sites, available at the following link: http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/bnatres/fishwild/boatlnch.htm.
To sign up for weekly updates on this or other RIDOT projects around the state, contact dot.customerservice@dot.ri.gov. Visit www.dot.ri.gov or follow RIDOTnews on Facebook or Twitter for timely information on construction projects and traffic conditions.
Contact: Charles St. Martin (401) 222-1362, Ext. 4007
