PHOTOS: Providence Is Spending $3M to Fix the Hurricane Barrier. Here Is Why It Is a Good Idea

PHOTOS: Providence Is Spending $3M to Fix the Hurricane Barrier. Here Is Why It Is a Good Idea

 

There was once a time when hurricanes swept up Narragansett Bay and pushed flood waters pouring into downtown Providence. The impact was devastating. Then, after repeated destructive storms, the federal built a significant hurricane barrier at a cost of $15 million -- today's cost would be about $150 million.

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Now, the City of Providence has announced it is spending a total of $3 million to replace all of the road plates at four of the street gates on Allens Avenue. These are a component of the hurricane barrier levee system. These plates house the components needed to secure the street gates when they are closed during a severe coastal storm or hurricane. 

 

The City said in a press release, “The Allens Avenue hurricane barrier gates play an important role in the City’s ability to protect Downtown from flooding in the event of a storm surge. Currently, the hurricane barrier sewer gates must be manually shut in the event of heavy storms or hurricanes. With the investment being made this month, the City will be able to close the sewer gates more efficiently during an emergency."

 

 

Before the Hurricane barrier, downtown Providence was overwhelmed multiple times by massive hurricanes and flooding. The most notable were "The Great Gale of 1815," the Hurricane of 1938, and Hurricane Carol in 1954.

 

In the 1938 hurricane alone, a reported 262 Rhode Islanders died.

 

Flooding that, if it took place today, would cause hundreds of millions in damage.

 

 

Construction of the Hurricane Barrier

Construction began in July 1961 and was completed in January 1966 at a cost of $15 million. 

 

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "The barrier itself is a 700-foot-long concrete structure, 25 feet high, that extends westerly across the Providence River from Tockwotton Street, near Fox Point, to Globe Street, near the power plant. The structure contains three tainter gate openings that prevent the entry of floodwaters from the bay when closed and permit passage of small vessels when open. Each gate is 40 feet high and 40 feet wide."

 

Two 10 to 15-foot-high earth-fill dikes with stone slope protection, flank each side of the barrier. The eastern dike is 780 feet long, and the western dike is 1,400 feet long.

 

 

"A pumping station and a cooling water canal are integral parts of the project. During a tidal/flood situation, the pumping station’s five large pumps can discharge the floodwaters of the Providence River through the barrier into the bay. Two gated openings in the pumping station, each 10 feet high and 15 feet wide, admit water into the cooling water canal used by the Narragansett Electric Company, located immediately behind the barrier," wrotes the Army Corps.

 

"There are three vehicular gates located at Allens Avenue, South Main Street, and the Narragansett Electric Company and five sewer gates that prevent high tides from backing up through the sewer lines," notes the Army Corps.

 

 

“This infrastructure investment is a critical part of how we can ensure Providence is resilient in the face of intense weather events and climate change,” said Mayor Brett Smiley. “Repairs to the hurricane barrier are long overdue and we are committed to making sure that the repairs are completed as quickly and safely as possible.” 

The construction will disrupt travel on Allens Avenue.