design-build Replacement of Woonasquatucket River Bridge

Steere, as Prime Design Consultant, provided overall project management, coordination, bridge design, and drainage design for the accelerated design-build replacement of the Woonasquatucket River Bridge No. 604 carrying Route 6 EB and SB over the Woonasquatucket River in Providence, RI.

The project included a staged bridge superstructure replacement, substructure modification and rehabilitation, and drainage improvements. The single span bridge consists of steel plate girders made composite with a reinforced concrete deck supported on reinforced concrete cantilever abutments.

One of the main goals of the project was to minimize disruptions to traffic on heavily traveled Route 6, which the design-build team was successful in doing by implementing and meeting an aggressive construction schedule. This was done in large part by mitigating schedule risks such as permitting and material procurement through design. Examples of these mitigation measures included the girders being sized to maintain the hydraulic opening of the bridge, which helped to expedite environmental permitting. Early release packages were also utilized as a means to procure long lead materials such as steel and bearings.

Since Route 6 is a main thoroughfare in Providence, construction was performed in two stages to maintain two travel lanes in each direction throughout construction. Adjacent projects, including several major design-build interchange reconstructions, required close coordination with other project teams and state and local agencies to ensure that Maintenance and Protection of Traffic were synchronized. 

Location: Providence, RI

Owner: Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT)

Timeline: Design Completed in 2019; Construction Completed in 2020