Replacement of I-95 Bridges over East Street & Roosevelt Avenue

As the Prime Design Consultant, Steere provided project management, bridge design, highway design, and maintenance and protection of traffic design for the accelerated design-build replacement of four bridges carrying Interstate 95 (I-95) over East Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Pawtucket, RI. This project was awarded the 2024 ACEC-RI 1st Place Gold Anchor Award (>$10 million category) for Outstanding Professional Design Excellence.

Steere’s role included the design of the East Street Bridges; project wide highway design and traffic management; and management of subconsultants performing the bridge design for the replacement of the I-95 bridges over Roosevelt Avenue, environmental permitting, and geotechnical engineering. Steere’s responsibilities also included QA/QC management and oversight for both design and construction.

A Traffic Management Plan (TMP) and Temporary Traffic Control Plan (TTCP) detailed the proposed management strategy for each construction phase and short-term setups for final paving and installation of pavement markings. Steere conducted multiple meetings including public forums with project stakeholders, including the City of Pawtucket, MassDOT, and emergency services to minimize traffic impacts while maintaining the construction schedule.

The new bridges consist of steel plate girders made composite with reinforced concrete decks that are “floating” on geosynthetic reinforced soil integrated bridge system (GRS-IBS) abutments. Prefabricated bridge units (PBUs) were placed over multiple weekends to allow a minimum of two lanes of traffic to remain open throughout construction.

Steere provided design services for the highway and local roadway improvements, a complex traffic management plan and coordination with State and local stakeholders. Replacement of the southbound bridge over Roosevelt Avenue required the realignment and construction of Exit 30 to Roosevelt Avenue. The construction included the design of a stormwater system and grassed swale to provide water quality improvements from highway runoff. Other highway improvements included resurfacing the interstate, provisions for maintaining highway lighting throughout construction and cleaning and maintenance of the highway drainage system. Local roadway improvements included new, ADA compliant sidewalks and crosswalks and resurfacing of both East Street and Roosevelt Avenue.

Location: Pawtucket, RI

Owner: Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT)

Timeline: Design Completed in 2019; Construction Completed in 2022