Providence’s Pedestrian Bridge Costs Up 700% — Now Nearly $22 Million

Providence’s Pedestrian Bridge Costs Up 700% — Now Nearly $22 Million

It started in September 2010 when then-Mayor David Cicilline and Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) officials announced a competition to design a pedestrian bridge across the Providence River — at a span of just 400 feet. 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. 

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SEE 2011 PROJECT PRESENTATION BELOW

Now, under Governor Gina Raimondo’s administration, the cost continues to spiral and is expected to be $21.9 million or more. 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.

“When RIDOT’s Project Management team assembled an estimate and advertised for construction bids in 2016, it estimated the cost at $13 million. The bids came in higher, and the low bid selected was $16.9 million,” said RIDOT spokesman Charles St. Martin.

"Prior to this administration, RIDOT did not publish full project budgets for all its projects. Estimates released earlier were likely for construction costs only. The current $21.9 million project budget reflects all costs, not just the cost for the construction contractor,” said St. Martin.

“The difference is due to this being a unique structure designed by an architect and not a standard highway bridge. The design includes features with specially fabricated materials, and the bids reflect that,” added St. Martin.

But, the spiraling costs have been tracked over the years. As reported in 2016, “Agency executives and engineers had been telling the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission… that it would cost $5.5 million to build the bridge.”

The bridge -- which is just a little longer than a football field plus the end zones -- is now nearly nine years in the making.

195 District Executive Director Peter McNally says 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.

Costs and Time

There is some dispute about how much the costs have spiraled. RIDOT says the initial estimated costs released by the City of Providence, RIDOT and later by 195 Commissions did not take into all of the project’s actual costs.

However, the project should have had a significant cost reduction as the winning design included a restaurant which has been scrapped due to cost and tidal issues. It is unclear how the removal of that significant feature has not been reflected in cost reduction to the overall budget.

“The $3 million cost estimate was released several years ago by a prior administration and likely reflected a preliminary estimate of construction costs only. It did not reflect the design of the bridge as it is being built, which was subject to a city-led design contest in the 2000s,” said St. Martin.

The project is being developed by architect Inform Studios, the engineering firm is Buro Happold, and the designer is CDR Maguire.

SEE 2011 PROJECT PRESENTATION BELOW