NEW: Tassoni Praises DOT on Bridge Project
Monday, October 22, 2012
Retiring State Senator John Tassoni Jr (D-Dist. 22, Smithfield, North Smithfield) joined local, state and federal officials in praising the Department of Transportation on completing the Stillwater Viaduct bridge project in Smithfield. The DOT announced late last week that the bridge will open five weeks earlier than anticipated and on budget.
“The DOT and its project contractor, Northern Construction Services of Massachusetts, deserve our thanks and compliments for a job well done, and ahead of schedule,” said Senator Tassoni. “The importance of the bridge to the community, to local businesses in the area, cannot be overstated. Early completion of the project is great news and the DOT, by doing such an efficient job on this project, has provided great service to the community. This shows clearly how, with good planning, local-state cooperation and efficient construction techniques, a major project such as this can be done well.”
The bridge will reopen to traffic on Wednesday, this week, about five weeks ahead of schedule. Work on the $9.4 million project began in March and involved replacing the superstructure and repairing other parts of the 80-year-old bridge that carries Route 116 over the Stillwater Reservoir. The newly-repaired bridge is 450 feet long and as wide as the span it replaces, with sidewalks on both side of the roadway.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTLocal, state and federal officials were on hand last Friday when the DOT announced the early opening of the bridge.
Said Senator Tassoni, “This was a very important project, not only because it is essential for local businesses and will help boost the local economy, but also because investments in our infrastructure will serve Rhode Islanders well for years to come.”
