Old East Prov “Swing” RR Bridge Moved to “Unregulated” Site on Allens Ave in Prov

Old East Prov “Swing” RR Bridge Moved to “Unregulated” Site on Allens Ave in Prov

The old “swing” railroad bridge in the Seekonk River has been removed by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Where did it get taken for disposal, but to none other than the Rhode Island Recycled Metals (RIRM) facility on Allens Avenue in Providence.

On Thursday GoLocal approached the RIRM site via the water, along with Save the Bay's team including Baykeeper Mike Jarbeau and Riverkeeper Kate McPherson.

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The India Point Railroad Bridge was constructed by the Boston Bridge Works in 1902. The bridge connected the cities of Providence and East Providence by rail. But for decades, it had been a navigational hazard, according to the United States Coast Guard.

The rusted bridge was removed and floated by barge to the Rhode Island Metals Recycling (RIRM) facility on Allens Avenue this week. The move clears the waterways in East Providence and adds to the waste piles in Providence.

The RIRM facility has been cited repeatedly by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management over the past decade for environmental violations, including violations of the Clean Water Act and the Oil Pollution Act. The enforcement of those violations has been mired in a legal proceeding at Providence Superior Court that has gone on for seven years.

The Director of the Rhode Island Department, Terry Gray, told GoLocal that his agency has been hamstrung by the court proceeding.

“Every time we find something on the site, we have to go back to court. That is the 100-plus times we have gone to court,” said Gray on Saturday.

“Essentially, due to the travels of this case, the facility is unregulated,” said Gray.

“If you took this fresh and looked at these things from scratch, then it would be a significant enforcement case right as it sits today,” he added.

READ MORE ABOUT THE VIOLATIONS AND COURT ACTIONS HERE

This week GoLocal reported that the owners of RIRM have purchased the adjacent property -- the so-called "Cumberland Farms" land. That parcel is 9.8 acres. READ MORE HERE

 

Army Corp Removal 

The removal of the bridge by the Army Corps of Engineers took place earlier this week 

The total cost of the bridge's removal is just over $1 million, according to the Corp.

 

 

Taken Decades to Remove — Just Days to Add to the Piles of Waste in Providence

The bridge was officially abandoned for rail traffic by the New Haven Railroad in 1974 and subsequently sold to the city of Providence when the city purchased the Fox Point freight yard (now India Point Park).

In 1990, the U.S. Coast Guard determined that the bridge was a hazard to navigation.