The Mount Hope Bridge in Rhode Island is almost a century old, and the state is looking to rehabilitate it and extend its life for another 50 to 75 years.
On Thursday, leaders in the Ocean State announced $27 million in federal funding to install a dehumidification system on the bridge’s wires, cables, and anchors.
“This amazing bridge … it was designed and built in the 1920s. Opened in 1929. It is a vital connection to Aquidneck Island and it’s used daily by 19,000 motorists, including commuters, students and families,” said Lori Caron Silveira, executive director at the R.I. Turnpike and Bridge Authority (RITBA).
A 2016 inspection showed the cables on the bridge were deteriorating and in late 2021, Silveira said that the dehumidification system was needed.
The state will receieve $17 million in federal funding thanks to the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s (IIJA) Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) grant. Another $10 million was secured to support the installation of the dehumidification system.
The 700-ton cables that support the span have been weakened by corrosion and moisture over the years.
In 2021, RITBA put out a report on bridge inspections between 1960 and 2000 which showed that 744 wires on the bridge had broken out of 2,450.
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Source: The Newport Daily News, WPRI Providence
