RIDOT receives 6 bids for demolition of old Sakonnet River Bridge

THE R.I. DEPARTMENT of Transportation has received six bids for demolition of the old Sakonnet River Bridge, seen on the right, and anticipates awarding a contract this winter. / COURTESY RIDOT/CHUCK AUBE
THE R.I. DEPARTMENT of Transportation has received six bids for demolition of the old Sakonnet River Bridge, seen on the right, and anticipates awarding a contract this winter. / COURTESY RIDOT/CHUCK AUBE

PROVIDENCE – The state has received six bids for demolition of the old Sakonnet River Bridge, and anticipates awarding a contract this winter.
The apparent low bidder was S&R Corp., of Lowell, Mass., with a submission of $9.4 million. The bids ranged from $9.4 million to $15.6 million, and the R.I. Department of Transportation is now evaluating the proposals, said spokesman Charles St. Martin.
The lowest bid was about $11.1 million below the engineer’s estimate for the work, he said.
The Sakonnet River Bridge, which was closed in 2012 when a modern replacement span opened, crosses the Sakonnet River between Portsmouth and Tiverton.
The bridge was built in 1956. RIDOT Director Peter Alviti Jr. said in a statement released Wednesday that the department is anxious to start its removal.
“We’re eager to complete the contract award process so we can get the contractor started on this long-overdue effort to remove the old bridge,” he said.
The contract would be the first of two needed to remove the old bridge. It would focus on the riding deck and the superstructure elements. Once work begins, removal of the superstructure, which supports the travel deck, would take a year.
RIDOT will make every effort to limit the impact of this work on the summer boating season, according to St. Martin.
The initial phase of demolition would include the removal of 17 spans between the bridge’s vertical piers, including 6.2 million pounds of steel and 2,700 cubic yards of concrete.

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