HIGH PRIORITY REPAIRS TO SAKONNET RIVER BRIDGE NO. 250

The Sakonnet River Bridge is a 2,982-foot long multi-span bridge steel superstructure bridge over the tidal Sakonnet River. The bridge roadway is approximately 50 feet above the water. The main span consists of a through-deck steel arch structure. The bridge had been downgraded to 18 ton limit and was in dire need of replacement. The construction of the new bridge was delayed and it was determined that there was a need to perform high priority, interim steel repairs to maintain the existing structure. Due to the severity of the repairs, the work had to be performed according to an aggressive schedule during the winter. Most of the steel repairs were accessed via boom-lifts or pipe staging when the repairs were located over land.

For the repairs located over water, we accessed the repairs via boom-lifts on barges or with the use of an under-bridge inspection truck. The specific type of work completed consisted of structural steel repairs to floor beams and gusset plates, installation of supplemental cross beams at bridge deck expansion joints, cleaning and resealing of same joints, cleaning of the north and south truss connections and lower horizontal members, cleaning and flushing of the existing drainage system, localized surface preparation and repainting of existing floor beam to girder connections, permanent closure of the off-ramp structure and associated traffic control.