Sakonnet River rail bridge
Sakonnet River rail bridge | |
|---|---|
 The former bridge in 2005 | |
| Coordinates | 41°38′20″N 71°12′48″W / 41.638926°N 71.2132°WCoordinates: 41°38′20″N 71°12′48″W / 41.638926°N 71.2132°W |
| Carries | Newport Secondary |
| Crosses | Sakonnet River |
| Locale | between Portsmouth and Tiverton |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | swing bridge |
| History | |
| Opened | 1899 |
| Closed | 1988 (removed 2006-2007) |
| Location | |
 | |
The Sakonnet River rail bridge was a swing bridge that spanned the Sakonnet River between Portsmouth and Tiverton, Rhode Island, connecting Aquidneck Island to the mainland.
History[]
The bridge was built in 1899 by the Pennsylvania Steel Company, replacing a previous crossing constructed when the Newport and Fall River Railroad opened in 1864 and served a succession of railroads; the Providence and Worcester Railroad took over the line in 1982.[1]
Removal from service[]
The bridge was removed from service in 1980 after being damaged by an overweight train loaded with military equipment. The swing bridge was left in the open position to allow boat traffic to pass and in 1988 a barge ran into it.[2] [3] Since then equipment for tourist railroads on the island has been brought in by barge. The bridge swing structure was removed in late 2006 and the supporting piers were demolished by explosion on February 9, 2007. Only the bridge itself was formally abandoned; the tracks on either side are considered formally active to allow future restoration of service.[4]
Reactivation of the railroad to bridge[]
After the Anthony Road overpass in Portsmouth, RI was rebuilt in 2019, work was done repairing several washouts to allow use to end of track. The tourist train ran past the Hummocks station built in 2017 to the end of the track on June 15 2021 to the Sakonnet River rail bridge site. This was the first Old Colony & Newport train past the derail about 200 feet (61 m) from the bridge's western pier. The last train from the previous operators on this segment was 1988. The railroad track now officially ends at a bumper post at the foot of an electrical transmission tower on the bridge's western pier point. The Newport & Narragansett Bay Railroad now regularly operates its Dinner Train to the bumping post.[5]
See also[]
- Crook Point Bascule Bridge
- India Point Railroad Bridge
- Sakonnet River Channel RailRoad Bridge Has direct overhead picture
References[]
- ^ Schmidt, Gloria. "Railroad Bridge". Portsmouth History Notes. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
- ^ "Sakonnet River rail bridge". Geolocated Wikipedia articles. cs.fiu.edu. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
- ^ Newport County, Rhode Island. "NH - Sakonnet River Bridge". Bridgehunter,com: Historic Bridges of the United States. Historic Bridge Foundation. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
- ^ Karr, Ronald Dale (2017). The Rail Lines of Southern New England (2 ed.). Branch Line Press. pp. 415–418. ISBN 9780942147124.
- ^ St. Louis, Michael. "Locomotive ride on reactivated north end of Newport Secondary - 6/15/2021". South Coast Rail Videos. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
External links[]
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- Demolished bridges in the United States
- Bridges in Newport County, Rhode Island
- Buildings and structures demolished in 2007
- Bridges completed in 1899
- Swing bridges in the United States
- Railroad bridges in Rhode Island
- Old Colony Railroad
- Former railway bridges in the United States
- 1899 establishments in Rhode Island
- Steel bridges in the United States
- Northeastern United States bridge (structure) stubs
- Rhode Island building and structure stubs