Sakonnet River Bridge
Sakonnet River Bridge is a four-lane bridge spanning the Sakonnet River in eastern Rhode Island. The bridge carries RI 24 and RI 138 between the communities of Portsmouth and Tiverton, Rhode Island. The current bridge is a box girder bridge that opened in 2012 at a cost of $120 million (USD). The previous bridge was a truss bridge that was built in 1956 and demolished in 2012 due to structural deficiencies. The truss bridge had previously served as a replacement for the Stone Bridge, about 0.8 miles (1.3 km) to the south.
Sakonnet River Bridge | |
|---|---|
The new Sakonnet River Bridge alongside the remaining pillars of the old bridge. | |
| Coordinates | 41.6381°N 71.2140°W |
| Carries | Route 24 / Route 138 |
| Crosses | Sakonnet River |
| Locale | between Portsmouth and Tiverton |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | truss bridge (1st) Box girder bridge (2nd) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1956 (1st bridge), 2012 (2nd bridge) |
| Closed | 2012 (1st bridge) |
| Location | |
It became part of RI 24 during the 1960s after the completion of the Portsmouth and Tiverton Expressways. At one point, it was briefly considered for inclusion as part of the never-built Interstate 895. In October 2023, Rhode Island Department of Transportation says that they will remove the rest of the bridge and they currently begin planning and design for the project in 2026. The department started demolishing the Sakonnet river bridge superstructure in 2018.