BERKELEY AND MARTIN ST. BRIDGES

The key element in this bridge replacement project was its setting within the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. The design incorporated a grade separation between the roadway and the bike path. Instead of two separate bridges with an at-grade connection at the bikeway, the new bridge is a three-span, steel-girder structure spanning the river, the bikeway and the river. For historic preservation, the spans over the river are 75 feet long, as before, with new timber bowstring trusses. The concrete pier required at the western bank of the river is positioned with respect to the bikeway/pedestrian walkway so as to provide a scenic overlook. Other project requirements included steel cofferdams, granite wall construction, H-pile foundations, and cast-in-place concrete deck. Aetna Bridge received the RIDOT Transportation Pioneering Award for this project.