Old Jamestown Bridge
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Today’s picture of the day is a photograph of the what remains of the Old Jamestown Verrazano Bridge at sunrise, for you Rhode Islanders out there you will likely remember when the main span of the bridge was demolished a couple of years ago, after siting in limbo for over a decade. The new bridge which was completed in October of 1992. Planing for original bridge which was to replace the ferry system, began in 1920. They began building in early 1939 and completed the bridge 18 months later in 1940. The bridge served as an important connection between the naval air based in Quonset and the forts in Jamestown as well the Naval War College (as well as other Naval training facilities) and in Newport, where they reenacted the all the possible scenarios of the war with Japan in Newport located. The ferry serve from the East side of Jamestown Newport ran until 1969 when the Claiborne Pell Bridge more commonly known as the Newport Bridge was built.
Since they stopped maintenance on the Jamestown Bridge as soon as the new one was built in 1992 the bridge just deteriorated since the new one went up. So much so that the Coast Guard eventually declared it a navigation hazard, and it was subsequently demolished on April 18, 2006. Although the main span with the entire truss system was demolished on that day a few more piers were not demolished until exactly a month later in the second phase of the demolition.
Now this this 1600ft pier is all that remains, and even this will soon come down as the 1987 law requiring it kept as a fishing pier was removed back in July. Currently the remnant of the bridge is past due for removal, but it has not been removed yet because no wants to spend wants to spend the $3 million or so required to remove it and in addition build a new fishing pier. Fortunately, there is still a mandate the land be set aside for public use, so even when the pier is gone there will be a parking area and boat ramp for access to the water. I imagine it will now probably be removed some time next spring; if not then someone may be in trouble with the Army Corp of Engineers.
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November 8th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Nice.
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