Bristol's Silver Creek Bridge To Stay Open During Construction

BRISTOL, RI — Bristol's Silver Creek Bridge will stay open throughout scheduled construction, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation announced on Wednesday. The department made the decision after local business owners and residents said a full closure would be too disruptive.

Initially, RIDOT planned to close the bridge for eight weeks, allowing crews to completely rebuild the bridge. To minimize the impact to the community, the decision was made to keep at least one lane open throughout the project.

The new plan will likely keep traffic heading south flowing along the bridge as normal, with northbound traffic detoured when a single-lane closure is required. The department also considered building a second, temporary bridge or using the nearby bike path. However, these other options proved to be too time consuming, costly or disruptive to residents and businesses nearby. A final decision will be made in January.

The first phase of construction is not expected to impact traffic, as both lanes will be open with some shifts or splits while crews relocate sewer and water lines until Feb. 15.

Starting Feb. 16, the second phase of construction will begin, at which point one lane and one sidewalk will be closed. During that time, one lane will be open as usual, with drivers headed in the other direction detoured around the work zone. Half of the bridge will be demolished and rebuilt during this phase.

From June 19 to July 5, both lanes and sidewalks will be open, with no detours in place.

The final phase of construction is set to get underway on July 6, lasting until Aug. 28. At this time, crews will demolish and rebuild the other side of the bridge, keeping one lane and sidewalk open on the rebuilt side. The project is set to be complete by Oct. 16. Both lanes will be open while crews finish final paving, lane striping and landscaping.

The changed plan is projected to cost $300,000, which is included in the project's contingency budget.