Crawford Street Bridge (Providence, Rhode Island)

The Crawford Street Bridge was a concrete and steel bridge over the Providence River in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It was originally built from 1873 to 1904 and then rebuilt starting in 1930. Composed of a set of interconnected bridges that span the river, it had a total area of over 3 acres (1.2 hectares) and covered nearly a quarter of a mile of the river. At 1,147 feet (350 m) wide,[2] it was the world's widest bridge, and listed in the 1988 Guinness Book of World Records.[3]

Crawford Street Bridge
Crawford Street Bridge in 2019
Coordinates41°49′27″N 71°24′28″W / 41.8242°N 71.4079°W / 41.8242; -71.4079
CrossesProvidence River
LocaleProvidence, Rhode Island
Official nameRobert E. Rowan, P.E. Bridge[1]
History
Opened1873
Rebuilt1930, 1982
Statistics
Daily trafficautomobiles and pedestrians
Location
Map

As part of a downtown redevelopment project, the massive bridge was substantially demolished in 1982, replaced with several narrower bridges for individual streets and exposing the Providence River to create a more pedestrian-friendly cityscape.[4]

Crawford Street bridge in 1906

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Crawford Street Bridge". Rhode Island Department of State. State of Rhode Island. Retrieved 6 October 2019. In 2000 the Rhode Island General Assembly passed legislation, at the request of then–State Representative Cicilline, Representative Paul Moura, and Representative Thomas Slater, formally changing the name of the bridge from the Crawford Street Bridge to the Robert E. Rowan, P.E. Bridge
  2. ^ "Providence Losing a Bridge to Gain a Riverbank". The New York Times. September 1, 1985.
  3. ^ "Crawford Street Bridge". Office of the State of Rhode Island Secretary of State. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  4. ^ Windham, Ryder (2006). You Know You're in Rhode Island When... Globe Pequot. pp. 65–103. ISBN 0762739401.
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