The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) announced that effective today, Wednesday, January 25, it will be closing the Barton Street Bridge in Pawtucket. The 102-year-old bridge is structurally deficient and had a weight limit of just 5 tons because of its advanced steel deterioration.
Turn-by-turn directions are as follows:
Eastbound:
• Turn left onto Broad Street
• Turn right onto Clay Street
• Turn right onto Montgomery Street
• Return to Barton Street
Westbound:
• Turn right onto Montgomery Street
• Turn right onto Clay Street
• Turn left on High Street
• Turn left onto Jenks Street
• Turn left to Broad Street
• Return to Barton Street
RIDOT will review its options for repairing or replacing the structure. Repair work that was being contemplated for both this bridge and the adjacent Broad Street Bridge will be reevaluated to determine if the structures are beyond repair and an acceleration of a bridge replacement project is warranted. The Barton Street and Broad Street bridges share common supporting elements where they span Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and the Providence & Worcester Railroad freight line.
RIDOT is taking this action following the results of load rating analysis of the bridges, which was completed yesterday. The bridges are inspected annually, and the findings of an inspection last September prompted the Department to undertake engineering review of the bridges, leading to the recommendation to close the Barton Street Bridge.
The findings also recommended the narrowing of the Broad Street bridge to two 12-foot travel lanes. It also has a 5 ton weight limit.
Detour maps with turn-by-turn directions can be found online at www.dot.ri.gov/detourmaps