The main span of this 11,248' (3428.4m, 2.1 miles) bridge is 1,600' (488m). [HistoricBridges]
The average daily usage in 2015 was 20,010 with 2% trucks. The navigation vertical clerance is 30.4m (100.1'). [NationalBridgeInventory]
The Mount Hope Bridge is another suspension bridge that helps connect Newport with the mainland.
The suspension span is on the west side of the bridge.
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| Street View, Sep 2012 |
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| C Hanchey Flickr, License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC), cropped It "was renamed for U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell in 1992. |
This bridge is like the Mackinac Bridge in that the suspended part is just a fraction of the total length. I could not find a length for the side suspended spans, but they look about half the distance of the main span. So the suspended part of the bridge is about 976m or 976/3428.4 = 0.28 of the total length.
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| Street View, Jul 2012 |
"The bridge features an extremely long approach system of deck truss spans, deck plate girder spans, and concrete beam spans." [HistoricBridges]
The above street view shows some of the concrete beam spans and this photo shows some of the deck truss spans. The photo also provides a closeup of one of the cable anchors.
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| C Hanchey Flickr, License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) |
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| Rhode Island Memories posted Newport Harbor Lighthouse on the north end of Goat Island in Narragansett Bay in 2008. Bridges Now and Then shared |
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| History’s Mirror posted The Newport Bridge, now famously known as the Claiborne Pell Bridge, officially opened to the public on June 28, 1969, marking a significant milestone in Rhode Island's transportation history. This impressive suspension bridge spans the East Passage of Narragansett Bay, connecting the historic city of Newport with Jamestown and providing a vital link that replaced the slower ferry service. At the time of its opening, the bridge stood as the longest suspension bridge in New England and one of the most advanced engineering projects of its era, featuring a striking design with its tall towers and graceful cables. Thousands of spectators gathered on the bridge deck, many waving American flags, as cars and a red double-decker bus made their way across while a fireboat sprayed celebratory water arcs in the background. The opening ceremony captured the excitement of the community, symbolizing progress and easier access between the mainland and the scenic island communities. |
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| Bridges Now and Then posted Lifting the middle piece of deck structure into place on Rhode Island's Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge, c. 1968. (Brian Stinson Collection) |
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| Bridges Now and Then posted With the Newport Bridge under construction, and Jamestown in the background, the Chilean freighter Antiparos moves up Narragansett Bay in 1968. (Thomas D. Stevens/Providence Journal) |
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| Bridges Now and Then posted Construction on Rhode Island's Newport Bridge, c. 1968. (CEG) Dave Frieder: The Main Cables on this bridge were spun in a similar manner as to the Golden Gate Bridge. With the Vertex of the Hexagon at the top and bottom. This allows a more rounded cable after compacting. Designed by Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade & Douglas. Jon Wolfe shared Hard hat say’s Bethlehem |
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| Bridges Now and Then posted September 24, 1998. The decommissioned battleship Iowa (BB 61) passes under the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge on its way to join the decommissioned aircraft carriers Forrestal and Saratoga at the Naval Education and Training Center, Rhode Island. (Battleship Iowa Museum) |
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| Kevin Bruff posted Winter sunrise… Taylor Point, Jamestown, RI. Jamestown, RI Newport Bridge |
This is an example of a tower design that looks simple, but strong.
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| Street View |
This is one of several construction photos that are available on the BridgeHunter page. It is the second bridge I have seen where the tower is built with a derrick on a temporary tower on what I presume is a barge. I have not yet figured out how they "grow" the height of the temporary tower.
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| Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority, "Newport Bridge," in Virtual Exhibits, Item #85 via BridgeHunter |
I found a higher resolution copy of the photo with the tower derrick.
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| Bridges Now and Then posted Construction on the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge over Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, September 26, 1967. Dan Murphy: Gotta love the derrick crane in the background. You can also see workers tying rebar for the deck and in the foreground, the rebar for the barrier is in place. (Notice here the electrical conduits already inside the barrier bars.) |
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| Bridges Now and Then posted A view of the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge over Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, August 16, 1968. (Rhode Island State Archives) |
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| Bridges Now and Then posted Rhode Island's Claiborne Pell Bridge over Narragansett Bay nearing completion, c. 1968. (Ernest Myette) |
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| Bridges Now and Then posted A ship passes under the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge over Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay during construction, September, 1968. (Brian Stinson) Dale Mitchell: Newport Bridge then, still is in most people's minds |
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| Bridges Now and Then posted Anchorage construction on Rhode Island's Newport Bridge, c. 1967. (RITBA Photo) Dave Frieder: Strand Tubes. |
This construction photo gives us a good view of how the cable backbone of a suspension bridge works.
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| HistoricBridges |
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| Bridges Now and Then posted Building Rhode Island's Newport Bridge, c. 1968. (No Credit Found) |
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| Gregg Noonberg commented on the above post "Newport Harbor Light (1842) on northern tip of Goat Island as seen from The Point. The Claiborne Pell Bridge can be seen in the background." |
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