Watch the Barton Corner Bridge Get Replaced in 1 Minute, 29 Seconds

The Barton Corner Bridge carries Interstate 95 over Route 2 and the state Department of Transportation heralded its recent replacement as an example of the latest in advanced bridge building and construction methods.

Consider it was replaced in just 11 days thanks to the main spans being preassembled and staged, enabling crews to slide new sections into place immediately after demolition.

Meanwhile, the entire project was streamed on the internet, enabling residents to see the work in progress.

But, like many construction progress, it’s hard to get a sense of how quickly the work was completed by checking in for five minutes at a time.

That’s why this video, put together by the DOT, is so revealing. Individual snapshots of the work crews are strung together to show step-by-step how the old bridge was knocked down and the new one was plopped into place with nary a pause. You can even watch the concrete cure, hour by hour.

The bridge replacement was part of a $6.4 million contract with D’Ambra Construction. The bridge itself was built in two halves on land adjacent to the highway on Route 2.

Each 440-ton segment was slowly transported into place with self-propelled modular transporters similar to what was used to move the Iway bridge onto barges at Quonset Business Park in 2006 before it was floated up Narragansett Bay to Providence.

“We are proud to be working with D’Ambra to achieve this first for Rhode Island,” RIDOT Director Michael P. Lewis said. “As part of our interstate system, Barton Corner Bridge is an important asset. The approach taken with its replacement allows us to build a quality bridge that will last for generations to come while significantly minimizing disruption to traffic and to the surrounding community during construction.”

The Barton Corner Bridge was originally built in 1958 and was rehabbed in 1976. It carries an estimated 72,000 cars each day and provides access to Route 4 and the New England Tech campus in East Greenwich.

With four lanes plus two auxiliary lanes, the old bridge’s piers and foundations were showing signs of advanced deterioration, the DOT said. A steel shoring system was installed to the old bridge to support it until replacement.

It also suffered damage to main girders that were struck by over-height trucks. The new bridge is designed to provide eight inches of extra clearance.