About the Pawtucket River Bridge...
Built to replace the earlier bridge
built in 1958 that was becoming a
safety hazard, the new Pawtucket
River Bridge has become an important
landmark and visitor attraction for
the city and state. Thanks to
efforts by local and state officials
to build a structure that was more
than just a means to allow drivers
to cross the Pawtucket River on Rte.
95, and several companies working in
collaboration, the new bridge has
become much more than just a bridge.
It's art deco design, LED lighting
system allowing easily changing
light patterns, and other
architectural elements have made the
bridge a work of art -- an
attraction that will be used for
holding events, commemorating
special occasions, and improving
civic pride in Pawtucket. It
is hoped the bridge will become a
tourism and recreational hotspot and
event venue that will draw visitors
and become an important part of
Pawtucket's ever growing arts and
entertainment community.
The new bridge is a beacon for Pawtucket
blending with the city’s historic
landscape and features enhanced
lighting. It features colorful state of
the art lights, developed by Abernathy
Lighting Design of North Providence,
that enhance the architectural features
of the newly built structure, along with
dramatic views of the riverfront.
The unique color changing system of low
voltage and long life LED lights
enhances visibility on the bridge, and
provides the ability to change the colors
of the lighting to coordinate with major
holidays or local events, similar to the
lights on the dome of the Rhode Island
State House.
The art deco themes on the bridge and
pylons reflect connections to the
Pawtucket City Hall, an Art Deco style
structure built in 1933, as part of the
Works Progress Administration, the US
Government construction program created
in the Great Depression to put
unemployed construction workers back on
the job.
Make the Pawtucket River
Bridge part of your event or celebration...
The City of Pawtucket and
Rhode Island Department of
Transportation will allow the Pawtucket
River Bridge to be used by businesses,
organizations
and residents to hold events under the
bridge or in the surrounding area,
or to commemorate events and
celebrations through requested
changes in lighting, within
established policies and guidelines.
Events are already being scheduled
throughout the summer.
For more information about using the
Pawtucket River Bridge to promote your
celebration or event,
click here.
From
the NC Architects site...
RIDOT engaged NCA to collaborate with
Commonwealth Engineers & Consultants, Inc.,
Ventrone Architecture, Abernathy Lighting Design
and the Pawtucket Mayor’s Bridge Design
Committee to develop a new design for Interstate
95 Bridge Number 550.
Native Americans call the place where trails
meet to cross a river Pawtucket. During the 18th
Century settlers crossed the Pawtucket River
seeking religious freedom in Rhode Island
Colony. During the 19th century, Pawtucket’s
Slater’s Mill marked the birthplace of the
Industrial Revolution and the bridge spanning
the river became a commercial thoroughfare. By
the mid-20th century, Interstate 95 was the most
traveled highway in the nation. In 1958 a new
Pawtucket River Bridge was built to carry I-95
traffic over the Pawtucket River. According to
the Rhode Island Department of Transportation,
162,000 vehicles travel across the Pawtucket
River Bridge every day. The defective Route 95
overpass created an opportunity to demonstrate
that State and Federal governments could
collaborate with the design team to replace the
aging Pawtucket River Bridge No. 550 and
revitalize the historic city’s gateway.
The design challenge was not to create a
linkage over a relatively narrow New England
waterway but to convey the series of
extraordinary events that for centuries
converged at this very spot. From hand-hewn
covered bridges to steel and concrete marvels,
Rhode Islanders have long expressed pride in
bridges and regard them as iconic structures.
The project entailed replacing three separate
structures with a bridge to carry I-95
Northbound; a bridge to carry I-95 Southbound;
and a bridge for the on and off ramps to George
and School Streets. Inspiration for the bridge’s
Art Deco design came from other structures in
Pawtucket built during the Great Depression,
such as City Hall, McCoy Stadium and Shea High
School. The new bridge’s four pillars feature
representations of Art Deco wings on the eagles
chiseled atop the tower at City Hall. Seen from
the river, the bridge, made of metalized steel
and illuminated at night with colored LED
(light-emitting diode) lighting, displays a
graceful silvery arch over the Pawtucket River.
This project earned the 2013 AIA
RI Honor Award for Urban Design and
the 2014 Illuminating Engineering
Society Award of Merit and has
received other recognition
throughout the world.
For more information about using the
Pawtucket River Bridge to promote your
celebration or event,
click here.
For more information about the
Pawtucket River Bridge, visit our
news section.
