By Mike Rego
EAST PROVIDENCE — The Rhode Island Department of Transportation has announced the official date for the temporary closure of the Hunts Mill Bridge, the busy span at the East Providence-Seekonk border that will be rebuilt with federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds.
The bridge, which carries motorists on Pleasant Street (Route 114A) over the Ten Mile River in city, will be shuttered on Friday, July 22, with the expectation of reopening by the end of the 2022 calendar year.
The roughly 100-foot span will be completely torn down and replaced.
RIDOT has posted signs indicating a detour using Pawtucket Avenue, Taunton Avenue and Fall River Avenue in Seekonk. Motorists should plan extra time for travel.
The bridge carries approximately 11,420 vehicles per day and is an important route connecting homes on either side of the river and businesses along the Route 44 corridor and Rumford.
The Hunts Mill Bridge was built in 1926 and has been classified as structurally deficient since 2011. According to RIDE, given its historic status and that of the surrounding area – it is one of the most historically important areas in East Providence – the design will replicate the bridge's historic features while making it a modern structure.
The authority claims to have taken this approach with many other bridge rehabilitation and replacement projects to preserve the ornate or historically significant features while still maintaining current safety standards.
While RIDOT anticipates opening the new bridge to traffic by the end of the year, final completion of the project is expected in summer 2023.