Frenchtown Brook Bridge has reopened

EAST GREENWICH R.I. (WPRI) - The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) announced Friday that is has reopened the Frenchtown Brook Bridge in East Greenwich about one month earlier then originally expected.

Accelerated bridge construction techniques used for the project allowed the RIDOT to assemble a new structure with concrete components in only 33 days.

RIDOT included an incentive clause in its contract with Aetna Bridge Company. The clause provided a $3,000 per day incentive, up to 30 days, to the contractor for opening the bridge early.

The 57-year-old Frenchtown Brook Bridge is one of the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Highways for LIFE demonstration projects geared to advance longer-lasting highway infrastructures using innovative methods to accelerate construction of roads and bridges.

The RIDOT is planning to rehabilitate the East Shore Expressway Bridge in East Providence using the same accelerated bridge construction methods.

RIDOT will evaluate all future bridge projects to determine if they can be built using accelerated bridge construction techniques.