Rhode Island Demonstration Project: Replacement of Frenchtown Brook Bridge No. 435

As part of a national initiative sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) under the Highways for LIFE program, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) was awarded a $620,000 grant to demonstrate the use of proven, innovative accelerated bridge construction technologies to deliver this $1.9 million project in substantially less time than conventional construction. This report details the replacement of the 57-year old Frenchtown Brook Bridge featuring prefabricated superstructure, substructure, and foundation systems. The new bridge was completely prefabricated offsite and installed in place—a first in Rhode Island. The accelerated construction approach and innovations in this project increased safety, enhanced quality, and allowed the contractor to replace the bridge during a 33-day road closure instead of the 6 months required under traditional construction methods. Use of prefabricated bridge systems and innovative materials increased the initial bridge construction cost compared to traditional construction by $47,000. However, a comprehensive economic analysis including user costs shows that the project saved road users about $2 million (or about 45 percent of the total project costs for conventional construction). The experience gained on this successful project will help RIDOT implement these innovations more routinely on future projects. Encouraged by the success of this project, RIDOT announced that it will evaluate all future bridge projects to determine if they can be built using accelerated bridge construction techniques.