Potential Exposure $1B — RI’s Mount Hope Bridge Is in Critical Need of Repair, Says Bridge Authority

Thursday, December 09, 2021

The head of the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority has hit the panic button calling on federal and state officials to take action to immediately take repair steps to stop the decay on the Mount Hope Bridge.

The immediate need is $35 million and without prompt attention, the costs could climb dramatically to upwards of $1 billion for replacement, she says. 

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In a letter to the Rhode Island Congressional delegations secured by GoLocal, Lori Caron Silveira, Executive Director of the Authority warns, “The cables and anchorages of the 92-year-old Mount Hope Bridge urgently need dehumidification if the Mount Hope is to remain structurally safe and able to continue serving the East Bay and interstate commerce.” 

The bridge was built with the support of Rhode Island's most powerful and wealthy families at the time -- the Colts and the Haffenreffers -- gun and beer industrialists who lived and had business interests in the East Bay.

Further, she states, that the financial impact of COVID has been devastating on the agency. "RITBA faces the challenge of getting these major safety initiatives underway while also contending with reduced toll revenue due to COVID (an anticipated loss of $20 million lost in fiscal years 2020-2022) and reduced gas tax revenue. The need for federal funds is critical and urgent," she writes. 

 

Cost Could be Catastrophic — $1 Billion Potential Liability

According to Silveira, the potential cost if action is not taken immediately could be the cost of replacement -- estimated to be $1 billion. The original cost of the bridge was just over $4 million when it opened in 1929. The bridge authority went into economic collapse in the early 1930s during the Great Depression and was auctioned to bondholders.

 

 

Now, the lack of proper maintenance over the years is creating an emergency situation, says Silveira

"Decades of wire breakages and repairs have resulted in gradual loss of some of the initial strength in the main suspension cables. It is critical that we get the dehumidification project underway as soon as possible or face the prospect of having to replace the cables at a cost of $300 million or even replace the Mount Hope altogether at a cost of $1 billion. Dehumidification of the Mount Hope is a $35 million project. RITBA is prepared to provide the $10 million match but urgently needs $25 million to get this project underway," she writes in the letter to the delegation. 

She also appeared before the State Senate Finance Committee on November 16, warning the committee of the immediate maintenance needs and the economic impacts in the short-term and potential catastrophic costs in the long term.

 

 

History of the Bridge -- Private Company to State Responsibility

The Mount Hope Bridge was designed in 1927 by the firm Robinson and Steinman, and built under the firm's supervision.

The bridge was originally owned and operated by a private company -- the Mount Hope Bridge Company -- as a toll bridge. It was purchased by the State of Rhode Island in 1955 and is now administered by the Rhode·Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority, which succeeded the Mount Hope Bridge Authority in 1964.

According to documents submitted to the National Park Service in 1975 by the State of Rhode for the designation of the bridge for historic recognition, the Rhode Island General Assembly in the 1920s refused to finance the bridge and a private company was established.

“Following the financial rejection by the State legislature, the interested banking houses during that boom period decided to finance the project as a privately-owned toll bridge. Herbert Smith [the chair of the private company] con­tinued to advocate the span, both as a public official and as a pri­vate citizen, finally obtaining State authorization to permit private capital to erect a bridge and charge tolls for a specified maximum period of time," according to the documents.

"An inquiry was made to David Steinman whether the bridge could be built for $4,000,000; his response being that it could be built for $3,000,000., and perhaps even less. The final cost of the Mount Hope Bridge, excluding financing charges, was $2,500,000 The total cost including bonds, debentures, and common stock was $4,250,000," the documents continue. 

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