Barbs Hill Road Bridge Replaced In Western Coventry

COVENTRY, RI — The Rhode Island Department of Transportation has replaced the Barbs Hill Road Bridge in Western Coventry, the department said this week. The project took five months and cost $3.6 million.

The bridge was closed to traffic in June so it could be completely replaced. The bridge was so badly deteriorated that it was set at a three-ton weight limit, which meant it was unusable by large trucks and school buses. The closure was timed during the low-flow period of the Moosup River to minimize the environmental impact, the department said.

The new bridge was made with composite materials, a new approach for the department. The new bridge was built with fiber reinforced polymer, which is resistant to corrosion, rather than the traditional method of steel rebar embedded in concrete.

"This is the second bridge we replaced using composite materials in just the past year," RIDOT's Director, Peter Alviti, Jr. said in a statement. "We will continue to look at new methods and new technologies to quickly fix our ailing roads and bridges with the least amount of impact to traffic and the environment as possible."

The project was funded through the Federal Highway Administration’s Innovative Bridge Research and Deployment Program, using the "Bridge in a Backpack" design developed by the University of Maine. The same design was used for Burrillville's Railroad Avenue Bridge last year.

The project is set to be finished next spring, weather depending.