At the North end of the EBBP, take a left onto 1st Street. This will T into Warren Ave. Look directly across the road and you will see a ramp heading up the side of a hill. This will lead you up to the Washington Bridge Pedestrian Walkway.

If you want to have some company during a ride into town, I’d encourage you to join one of our Monday Bike Trains

Not only was it was pleasantly swept for a change – since it’s now separate from the roadway, there are no broken bottles, debris and sand – you get a glimpse of what the new linear park will look like (on Ea. Prov. end). There’s a big plaque there that I never had a chance to read before (even took a picture). Says the existing bridge dates from 1930’s (not historic) but traces historic route of preexisting bridges that go back to 1700’s, which apparently Washington himself (gadabout that he was) may have actually used. Whoever painted graffiti over this aging delicate bronze ought to be horsewhipped.

Any one of these would have cost a small fraction of the $15 million original projection, more like $30 million to complete.

I advocate cable cars for all bridges as a bike-ped, especially the Newport, which otherwise would be difficult to fix a surface lane. Besides which, it would be a huge tourist attraction easily paying for the small investment and probably more reliable than existing intermittent ferry service.

Frankly, state could have saved millions by simply fixing the Bold Point RR bridge between East Providence and India Park. There is nothing at all historic about the Washington Bridge. I remember crossing the Red Bridge, which was RT-6, in my day. I’m not historic either.

You know, I’ve thought this same thing myself a number of times. The only explanation I’ve been able to come up with is that lowering the bridge would affect boat traffic. I assume it would be expensive and a royal pain to keep operating it as a lift bridge.

With all that granite, they could have made a dandy marina at Bold or India Point. Could have been a money maker for either city, both strapped for cash. They would have gotten more tourism value from a $500K bike-ped bridge as a $30 million one, and cyclists wouldn’t have had to climb 3 stories to cross the Seekonk River.

I share your frustration over the pace of this project. The upshot, however, is that cyclists now have a voice in the process. I’ll be sitting on the Value Engineering study that is charged with reviewing the project. If you have input about what priorities RIDOT should have for this project, please let me know.

“RIDOT does not have a firm timetable for the commencement of the construction project to widen the bridge and the original path’s closure. The Department is reviewing the design for the new bikeway and linear park.’

Pathetic! I thought RIDOT said that two years ago.