Providence Highway Over Mother Brook Bridge Replacement

This project replaced a 95-foot four-span bridge with a 68-foot single-span bridge. Re-use of the original piers was impractical, and reuse of the original abutments with a new single-span superstructure would have overloaded the original piles. The nature of the hydraulic opening of the river channel allowed for room to place new pile-supported abutments in front of the original abutments without negatively impacting the river hydraulics. New steel H-piles were laid out in a manner that would avoid conflicts with the original abutment piles. The space between the new and original abutments was backfilled, and the original abutments were left in place and buried. The superstructure was constructed of rolled steel beams that were galvanized and painted, and a reinforced concrete deck.

As a major transportation corridor, Providence Highway is an urban extension of a principal arterial connecting to I-95/Route 128 to the south and Boston to the north. As such, the maintenance of four lanes of traffic on the bridge throughout construction was of great importance. Additionally, the bridge lies approximately 100 feet south of a signalized intersection that serves as an entrance to a major shopping center. Fortunately, the original bridge featured a wide raised median that was able to be removed and temporarily utilized for traffic staging. A five-phase construction project was designed that allowed the bridge to be replaced while maintaining its full level of traffic service both on the bridge and at the adjacent intersection.