Jamestown-Verrazano Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge (often misspelled Jamestown-Verrazano Bridge) spans the West Passage of Narragansett Bay
in Rhode Island
, United States
. It is part of Route 138
and is part of the route to Newport, Rhode Island
for traffic heading northbound from Interstate 95
.
The bridge is a post-tensioned
, double-cell concrete
box girder bridge
with four travel lanes separated by a concrete Jersey barrier
(the original bridge was dangerous with two undivided lanes). The total length of the bridge is 7,350 ft (2,240 m) and links the towns of North Kingstown, Rhode Island
and the island town of Jamestown, Rhode Island
. Despite being 15 years old, the bridge was listed as structurally deficient in 2007 due to small cracks found in some of the box girder segments. The cracks were repaired in 2008.
Bicycles are not currently permitted on this bridge as a part of a limited access highway, but Rhode Island Public Transit Authority
bus #64 has bike racks without Sunday service.
was demolished in April 2006.
The bridge is named for Giovanni da Verrazzano.
Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound. Covering 147 mi2 , the Bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor, and includes a small archipelago...
in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of Route 138
Route 138 (Rhode Island)
Route 138 is a numbered State Highway running in Rhode Island. It runs from the Connecticut state line to the Massachusetts state line and is the only state-numbered route that traverses the entire state.-Route description:...
and is part of the route to Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
for traffic heading northbound from Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Rhode Island
Interstate 95, the main north–south Interstate Highway on the east coast of the United States, runs generally southwest-northeast through the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It runs from the border with Connecticut near Westerly through Warwick and Providence and to the Massachusetts state line...
.
The bridge is a post-tensioned
Prestressed concrete
Prestressed concrete is a method for overcoming concrete's natural weakness in tension. It can be used to produce beams, floors or bridges with a longer span than is practical with ordinary reinforced concrete...
, double-cell concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
box girder bridge
Box girder bridge
A box girder bridge is a bridge in which the main beams comprise girders in the shape of a hollow box. The box girder normally comprises either prestressed concrete, structural steel, or a composite of steel and reinforced concrete. The box is typically rectangular or trapezoidal in cross-section...
with four travel lanes separated by a concrete Jersey barrier
Jersey barrier
A Jersey barrier or Jersey wall is a modular concrete barrier employed to separate lanes of traffic. It is designed to both minimize vehicle damage in cases of incidental contact while still preventing crossover in the case of head-on accidents....
(the original bridge was dangerous with two undivided lanes). The total length of the bridge is 7,350 ft (2,240 m) and links the towns of North Kingstown, Rhode Island
North Kingstown, Rhode Island
North Kingstown is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 26,486 at the 2010 census. The famous American portraitist Gilbert Stuart was born in the village of Saunderstown, located in the southern region of North Kingstown....
and the island town of Jamestown, Rhode Island
Jamestown, Rhode Island
Jamestown is a town located in Newport County, Rhode Island, in the United States. The population was 5,405 at the 2010 census. Jamestown is situated almost entirely on Conanicut Island, the second largest island in Narragansett Bay.-History:...
. Despite being 15 years old, the bridge was listed as structurally deficient in 2007 due to small cracks found in some of the box girder segments. The cracks were repaired in 2008.
Bicycles are not currently permitted on this bridge as a part of a limited access highway, but Rhode Island Public Transit Authority
Rhode Island Public Transit Authority
The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority provides public transportation, primarily buses, in the state of Rhode Island. The main hub of the RIPTA system is Kennedy Plaza, a large bus terminal in downtown Providence, Rhode Island...
bus #64 has bike racks without Sunday service.
History
The bridge was completed in 1992 and was built alongside the two lane bridge that had served the same route since 1940. The original Jamestown BridgeJamestown Bridge
The Jamestown Bridge, usually referred to as the Old Jamestown Bridge to avoid confusion with its replacement, the new Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge, was a cantilever truss bridge that connected Conanicut Island to mainland North Kingstown, Rhode Island, spanning the West passage of Narragansett Bay...
was demolished in April 2006.
The bridge is named for Giovanni da Verrazzano.