The Bridges of Wickford Need Some TLC

Thousands of cars roll through Wickford on Route 1A every day, across the historic but shabby Clarence L. Hussey Bridge and the less obviously battered Brown Street bridge over Wickford Cove.

The arched, 84-foot long Hussey Bridge offers a graceful silhouette from a distance. But up close, peeling paint and creeping rust reveal the ravages of its 86 years.

Nevertheless, that bridge’s efficiency rating by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation comes in as “good,” report Bryan Lucier, a RIDOT spokesman.

The department plans to make repairs to the deck, sidewalk and railings. Logistical planning is under way, Lucier said, with the work expected to take place in 2013. But, nothing in the plans will alter the bridge’s arch design built with reinforced concrete using hangers made of steel rods embedded in wrought-iron pipes and caulked in bitumen.

Reinforced concrete was the signature building material of the bridge’s designer, Clarence L. Hussey. According to an account in “The View from Swamptown” by local historian Tim Cranston, in 1912, “Hussey was a hot shot engineer, straight out of M.I.T, when he was hired on by RI as its first state bridge engineer.”

Then, as now, deteriorating infrastructure posed a huge public works challenge. In 1912, the explosion of automobiles was straining roads and bridges. According to Cranston, Hussey began by photographing every bridge in Rhode Island, creating a unique and acclaimed 45,000-image collection now housed in the state archives.

Hussey designed and oversaw construction of a number of state bridges, many still standing. The 38-foot wide replacement for what had been known as the Hamilton Bridge – because it connected Wickford to the Hamilton Mill – was his last. When Hussey died in 1925 at the age of 42, state officials decided to make the bridge his namesake.

Despite Hussey’s meticulous records, rumors abounded that no one else knew how he mixed concrete, or would be able to continue building what The New York Times described as “strong, cheap bridges.” Hussey’s Times obituary was headlined, “Dead Bridge Engineer’s Formula May Remain a Secret.”

The bridge over Wickford Cove, on the other hand, comprises a less-storied, more nondescript stretch of concrete built in 1951, according to a plaque at the site. Traffic loads are limited to 19 tons for two-axle vehicles, 28 tons for three axles and 40 tons for five axles

Lucier says the 60-year-old bridge is scheduled for replacement, but no timeline has been drawn up. While the bridge has deficiencies, it’s rated stronger than many other posted structures in the state, including the I-95 Pawtucket River Bridge. That bridge permits five-axle vehicles of only 18 tons.

Since trucks of any size can reach the businesses on either side of the bridge, the posting appears to pose few problems. Town engineer Kim Wiegand reports, “There have been no complaints received by Public Works regarding the Wickford Cove Bridge on Brown Street. Our vehicles have no problem with the bridge.”

Karla Driscoll, executive director of the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce, says she’s lived in Wickford for more than 30 years and never noticed the sign announcing that the bridge is posted.

Perhaps that's because in the 21st century, many residents and visitors know that bridge best on foot, as a favored place to feed swans and observe sea life – light duty, no axles required.