Park Ave. Bridge Expected to Reopen in 30 Days

The state Department of Transportation began the task of tearing up the road surface on the Park Avenue bridge this weekend and officials said it might be reopened to traffic in about 30 days.

The bridge was abruptly closed this past week after an inspection showed the bridge’s steady deterioration over the years had reached a point that posed too-great a risk to motorists.

Though the bridge’s wooden deck has caught fire several times over the years, the sidewalks have been blocked off for more than five years and the region just got through the worst winter on record, some said the sudden closure was a political stunt to sway lawmakers to approve Governor Gina Raimondo’s sweeping Rhode Works infrastructure plan that included truck tolls.

Fueling the theory is the fact that the bridge is just feet from Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello’s law office. The speaker called for an investigation into the closure, arguing that the closure didn’t make sense since the bridge was inspected last fall and wasn’t closed, nor was there any repair work performed between now and the most-recent inspection.

Raimondo said she will not investigate the DOT and noted she had no idea the speaker’s office was even near the bridge.

The DOT said Saturday that crews are removing the asphalt and a bridge contractor selected Friday will “hit the ground running” and start the project to replace the deck and reopen the bridge in 30 days.

The bridge carries busy Park Avenue over Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor lines.

The contractor, John Rocchio Corp. of Smithfield, will replace the wood deck and rebuild the roadway in a $411,000 contract.

The bridge has been listed as structurally deficient for nearly 20 years and was recently inspected during a series of expedited inspections ordered by new DOT Director Peter J. Alviti.

The bridge repairs are a short-term fix and the DOT is in the planning stages for a complete replacement. After this immediate fix, the bridge will still be structurally deficient.