7 Things to Know About Prov. Pedestrian Bridge — a $21.9M Boondoggle or Architectural Icon
GoLocalProv News Team
7 Things to Know About Prov. Pedestrian Bridge — a $21.9M Boondoggle or Architectural Icon
The controversial bridge opens six years late and at a cost 700% more than initially budgeted.
SEE BELOW - 7 Things to Know About the Providence Pedestrian Bridge
It has been criticized for its cost, its delays -- and whether it is needed.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThere is another bridge across the Providence River just a few hundred feet away.
But others say time will heal all wounds and that the design and beauty will make the costs and delays forgotten. Few remember that the Jamestown Bridge was years late and tens of millions over budget.
“The Providence River Pedestrian Bridge is one of the final pieces in the magnificent mosaic of urban revival known as the Providence Renaissance. This soon-to-open span is the capstone of long, amazing project that sought to uncover the Providence River and give it back to the people,” wrote architectural critic Will Morgan.
“In linking the two shores of the river, the new footbridge will solidify the sense of reuniting two halves of downtown. It symbolizes the development of the area and will make both shores seem more of a cohesive single piece,” added Morgan.
In 2010, the Providence Pedestrian Bridge plan was announced by then-Mayor David Cicilline and then-Department of Transportation Director Michael Lewis.
The design for the bridge has changed and so has the city over the past nine years.
"In the end, the cost-overruns and building delays will be forgotten. Even if the result were just a pontoon bridge thrown up by the Army Corps of Engineers, it would draw people. But we have a structure much better than that. There is everything to like about the new bridge," wrote Morgan.
SEE BELOW - 7 Things to Know About the Providence Pedestrian Bridge
7 Things to Know About the Providence Pedestrian Bridge - August 2019
First Deadline and Cost
When announced by then-Providence Mayor David Cicilline and RI DOT Director Michael Lewis, the Providence pedestrian bridge was scheduled to open in 2013.
The bridge was estimated to cost approximately $3 million. Over time, the scope of the project has been reduced and yet the cost of the pedestrian bridge has doubled, tripled and then some.
By 2011, the total project cost was estimated to be $5.5 million according to Providence and RIDOT presentations.
Global Interest
In 2010, when the project was announced, firms from as far away as China and Spain expressed interest in designing the pedestrian bridge to replace where the old I-195 bridge had been in Providence.
The bridge connects residents of the Fox Point and College Hill neighborhoods to the Knowledge District and downtown.
The city’s design competition received responses from 47 firms. A dozen were local firms while others are based in Spain, France, England, and China. “The fact that the Pedestrian Bridge Design Competition has generated so much interest from a variety of architectural firms bodes well for this project,” said Mayor David Cicilline.
The Pedestrian Bridge Design Committee then selected 10 finalists to submit bridge designs and displayed them in City Hall.
Cost Increase Under Raimondo
Now, under Governor Gina Raimondo’s administration, the cost has continued to spiral and is expected to be $21.9 million or more for a final cost.
In just the past two years -- the estimated cost by RIDOT to the now trending project cost has jumped over 68 percent -- from $13 million to $21.9 million.
According to Charles St. Martin of the RI Department of Transportation:
Total cost: $21.9 million. This amount has not changed since construction began
Leading vendors: Our construction contract is with Daniel O’Connell’s Sons for this project
Amount paid to vendors: The construction contract is $16.9M; paid to date is $15.5M
Will Time Heal
Former 195 District Executive Director Peter McNally told GoLocal that he believed the benefits of the bridge in the long-term will outweigh the frustrations about the delays and the costs.
“The bridge will be something that everyone enjoys. It can't be overestimated how much it will add (to the state) and it will connect College Hill and the Jewelry District,” said McNally.
Connecting the New Providence
While some have criticized the cost, timeline, and need for the new pedestrian bridge, it will connect an emerging city that did not exist in 2010.
Wexford folks can walk over to the new Plant City restaurant and food court. Brown Medical School is now more easily connected to Brown's main campus and so on and so on.
In June, Matthew Kenney -- one of the biggest names in vegan cuisine in America -- opened his food hall in Providence. He has opened 17 restaurants across the world and has 15 more set to open, but Plant City is his first food hall. “Plant City will seamlessly integrate our restaurant concepts into a collective format under one roof,” Kenney told GoLocal, “You could say it’s a reinterpretation of food halls like Eataly – but founded on our highly-refined approach to plant-based cuisine.”
Walkability - and Gathering
The new pedestrian bridge will be an enhancement to Providence's walkability -- it will create a destination and add a new route to walkers wanting to connect to Fox Point, the Jewelry District, the East Side, and even Downtown.
Moreover, it will provide spaces for people to sit - and gather. Providence photographer Justin Case got a sneak preview back in April in photos showcased in GoLocal here.
Opening - LIVE COVERAGE
Friday morning the new Providence Pedestrian Bridge will be officially opened and dedicated by Governor Gina Raimondo and other federal and state officials.
GoLocal will be covering the unveiling LIVE -- watch on GoLocalProv.com or on GoLocal's Facebook page.
