BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION: RIDOT undertakes second 80-hour bridge replacement this month

For the second time this month, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is replacing a bridge in East Providence within 80 hours. The agency began the replacement of the McCormick Quarry Bridge starting on Friday, Sept. 23 at 9 p.m.

RIDOT says the bridge, built in 1959, has been structurally deficient for more than 20 years and carries 17,000 vehicles each day from Route 114 to I-195 West.

RIDOT says the 80-hour closure and replacement saves a year of construction time, which would be filled with delays and construction with only one lane open to traffic at a time.

The agency says the project is part of a $16.7 million two-bridge project that is on budget and on schedule, with final completion in June 2017.