The end is near for East Providence's India Point Railroad Bridge to nowhere

Patrick Anderson, The Providence Journal
·2 min read

By this summer, East Providence's old railroad bridge to nowhere will likely be no more.

A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractor Thursday began removing what's left of the India Point Railroad Bridge from the Seekonk River, where it has stood in one form or another since the 1830s.

The workers with J.F. Brennan Co. have stationed a barge at the rusty metal end of the bridge so they can dismantle it.

"Demo work began today with work focused on the old pile clusters, and bridge demo work will commence once the piles are removed," Bryan Purtell, a spokesman for the Army Corps, wrote in an email.

The project is expected to cost $1,068,000 and last until May 15, he said.

East Providence is also loaning the East Providence Yacht Club, whose docks abut the bridge, up to $50,000 to remove pilings, Patricia Resende, spokeswoman for Mayor Roberto DaSilva, said.

Workers take down the “bridge to nowhere” on the Seekonk River on Thursday.
Workers take down the “bridge to nowhere” on the Seekonk River on Thursday.

India Point Bridge the lesser known RI 'bridge to nowhere'

A covered bridge when it first opened in the 19th century, the India Point Bridge was rebuilt and given a pivoting central span in the early 20th century.

But as the railroads faltered, the bridge became unused and in 2002 the Army Corps removed most of the span, including all of the bits in the river channel.

But they left the portion that now juts off the east bank at the East Providence Yacht Club.

And as city leaders looked to redevelop the waterfront, they saw the decrepit hulk as an eyesore and barrier to sprucing up the area.

More: Future plans for Providence's Crook Point Bascule Bridge are up in the air

Workers with J.F. Brennan Co. on Thursday began removing what's left of the India Point Railroad Bridge from the Seekonk River.
Workers with J.F. Brennan Co. on Thursday began removing what's left of the India Point Railroad Bridge from the Seekonk River.

The India Point Railroad Bridge is the lesser known of defunct Seekonk River train bridges.

To the north, the larger Crook Point Bascule Bridge remains stuck in an upright position between Providence and East Providence.

Former Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza had at one point wanted to buy the Crook Point bridge from the state and turn it into a linear park.

But he never acted on those plans before leaving office.

New Mayor Brett Smiley has not said what he thinks should be done with the bridge.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: India Point Railroad Bridge, a RI bridge to nowhere, being removed