Old Glory To Fly Suspended From Mount Hope & Newport Bridges

From RITBA: Motorists traveling over the Newport Pell and Mount Hope Bridges this Fourth of July holiday will enjoy the view of American flags suspended from the towers. The American flags on each Bridge have been, and will continue to be featured for significant American holidays and celebrations. You can see a full list of dates that the flags will be flown here.

The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority (RITBA) began the Flag tradition in June of 2017. Due to weather conditions such as wind speeds and direction, the Flags cannot fly continuously for long periods of time. RITBA will monitor wind conditions and follow the Flag flying protocol for each of the Bridges as listed below.

Mount Hope Bridge (16x30 Flag)

The flag (weather permitting) will be raised and taken down for specified holidays in the morning at 5 a.m. RITBA will use its discretion of how many days the flag is flown before and after the actual day of the specified holidays.

• The flag will only be flown with favorable wind conditions; if adequate wind conditions cease while the flag is raised, it will be taken down immediately
• When determining if wind conditions are acceptable, RITBA will consider wind direction:
• Along the bridge in a direction that keeps the flag flying parallel to the tower legs: sustained wind speed must be less than 20 mph, gusts must be less than 30 mph
• If the flag rips while being flown, it will not stay raised and will be taken down

Newport Pell Bridge (30x60 Flag)

On specified holidays the flag, weather permitting, will be flown only in the morning, raised at 7 a.m. and taken down by 1 p.m.

• The flag will only be flown with favorable wind conditions; if adequate wind conditions cease while the flag is raised, it will be taken down immediately
• When determining if wind conditions are acceptable, RITBA will consider wind direction:
• West-northwest winds or East-southeast winds (along bridge in a direction that keeps the flag flying parallel to the main cables): sustained wind speed must be less than 20 mph, gusts must be less than 30 mph
• Other wind directions (across bridge in a direction that allows the flag to interact with the tower and/or suspender ropes): sustained wind speed must be less than 15 mph, gusts must be less than 20 mph
• The flag will not be flown in the rain due to the flag’s significant increase in weight when wet which affects the flight of the flag and can make the flag too heavy to retrieve. If it begins to rain while the flag is raised or during flight, it will be taken down immediately
• If the flag rips while being flown, will not stay raised and will be taken down
• To ensure that the flag is taken down as quickly as possible when needed, the flag and wind/weather conditions will be consistently monitored by RITBA while the flag is raised

Image Via RITBA