RIDOT Sets Weight Limit on Mink Street Bridge

EAST PROVIDENCE, RI—The state Department of Transportation has set a weight limit for trucks on the Runnins River Bridge, which carries Route 114 over the Runnins River on the border of East Providence and Seekonk.

The limit is effective immediately and will stay in place until repairs to the structurally deficient bridge can be performed.

“A recent analysis of the bridge’s load-carrying capacity yielded a recommendation to establish a weight limit of 10 tons for two-axle vehicles and 14 tons for vehicles with three or more axles,” the DOT said in a news release “The bridge, classified as structurally deficient in 2013, has deteriorated and cracked concrete with areas of exposed reinforcing steel. The bridge is in need of a complete replacement.”

A local detour using River Street, School Street and Route 6 is recommended. A detour map with turn-by-turn directions can be found online at www.dot.ri.gov/detourmaps.

The bridge is one of several bridges set to be replaced beginning in 2021 (page 106 in link), but repairs could come sooner based on annual evaluations of the newly-instituted 10-year Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan.

“RIDOT will evaluate the structure further to determine if repairs should be accelerated,” the release stated. “Until then, the weight limits have been determined to be a safe load capacity for the structure.”

The estimated cost of the repairs is about $370,000.

The bridge was built nearly 100 years ago by Joseph McCormick of East Providence. At the time, it was the only interstate bridge in the state’s highway system, according to a January 1920 annual report by the State Board of Public Boards.

The bridge was built with cooperation between the neighboring states, according to the report.

An old stone culvert on the Rhode Island side was replaced with a reinforced concrete box culvert included in the contract for the new construction of Waterman Avenue.

“Since this department had no jurisdiction between the boundary line, this construction would have continued to obstruction the flow of the stream and would have presented a very unfinished appearance,” the report explained. “The best solution was an interstate bridge with a single arch span eliminating the central pier built between the old head walls.”

Selectmen in Seekonk did their part “with commendable promptness” and it was agreed that Rhode Island would split the cost with Seekonk.

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