Travel Back in Time: Mt. Hope Bridge

Portsmouth is home to two of the three bridges that help connect Aquidneck Island to the mainland.

As everyone knows, the Sakonnet River Bridge is being replaced and is set to be open in 2012.

But what about the oldest of the three bridges, the Mt. Hope Bridge? Who built it? How long did it take?

According to the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority (RITBA) Web site, the Mount Hope Bridge was designed by Holton Robinson and Robert Steinman in 1927, took two years to build and cost $2.4 million.

There were problems however, according to RITBA.

Four months prior to opening day, the bridge was considered unsafe. Experimental heat treated steel for the cables had been used. This caused breaks in the cables resulting in the span having to be removed and a $1 million retrofit.

It’s noted that Steinman had huge objections to the heat treated steel.

According to RITBA, the Mt. Hope Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in New England for many years to come. Its main span is 1,200 feet.

In 1920, according to the RITBA Web site, Rhode Island legislator William L. Connery of Bristol asked for a committee to be set up to investigate the building of a bridge between Portsmouth and Bristol.

The reason behind the request was that the delegates from Aquidneck Island were often late to their State House meetings as the ferry could not cross when Bristol Harbor became frozen in the dead of winter.

It was decided at that point in time that it was not economical to build a bridge, according to RITBA.

But, because of the increased use of the automobile, tourists and a need to connect two of the most populated cities in the state, the idea was floated (no pun intended) again.

This time, Rhode Island had a plan. It wouldn’t build the bridge itself, but it would enjoy its benefits.

The state's legislators came up with an idea to sell the rights to build the bridge to a private entity called the Mt. Hope Bridge Co.

The Mt. Hope Bridge Co. went bankrupt in 1931 and was bought by local beer maker and Bristol resident Rudolf Haffenreffer.                    

Later, in 1955, the state bought the Mt. Hope Bridge outright and put the Mt. Hope Bridge Authority in charge. The Mt. Hope Bridge Authority became RITBA in 1964.

So how was the Mt. Hope Bridge Co., the original owners, to get reimbursed for its troubles? Tolls, tolls, tolls.

In fact, tolls were a regular part of crossings until 1998, when it was decided that it cost more to collect the tolls than the income generated.

Prior to all this, private ferries brought folks across the bay from Portsmouth to Bristol.

Facts from the National Register of Historic Places:

• Add to National Register: 1976

• Area of Significance: Transportation, Engineering

• Period of Significance: 1925-1949 

• Owner: State