The 'Pell Bridge Newport' sign has been taken down. What happened to it?
Lately, the Washington Bridge has rightfully been taking up most of the attention, but changes are happening at the Newport Pell Bridge, too.
With a new fully electronic toll gantry on the way, deconstruction is underway for the old toll structure – including taking down the art deco-style "Pell Bridge Newport" sign that stretched across the top of it.
“What happened to it?” a What and Why RI reader asked. “I hope they’re not selling it. I love those old letters.”
What’s the history of the Newport Pell Bridge (and, by extension, those letters)?
The bridge opened on June 28, 1969, after 3½ years of construction and a planning process that stretched back to before World War II. Then called the Newport Bridge, it cost $61 million to build and has a main span of 1,601 feet, making it the longest suspension bridge in New England.
In 1992, Gov. Bruce Sundlun proposed renaming the bridge after Sen. Claiborne Pell, who served in the U.S. Senate from 1961 to 1997.
No one politically had a problem with naming the bridge after the senator, according to The Providence Journal archives, but there were some people concerned with the cost of changing the signs. Then executive director of the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority A. Charles Moretti priced the cost at $40,000, to which Sundlun cried “malarkey.”
Ever a problem solver, Pell suggested a more frugal approach.
"It should cost nothing," Pell said. "They should wait until the signs need replacement, I would think that would be sensible."
And so, they waited. Sundlun left office. Pell left office. They kept waiting. Most people kept calling it the Newport Bridge, as that’s what all the signs said.
A full decade later, in 2002, the signs bearing Pell’s name were installed.
Which was a good thing, because Sundlun’s patience appeared to be wearing thin.
"I had to yell a little bit in order to get them [the signs]," he told The Journal.
This new wave of signs included the art deco lettering that went over the toll booths.
What and Why RI: Why is Fort Adams in the shape of a pentagon? It goes back to 15th-century Europe.
Where are the letters now?
The letters weren’t tossed when they came down from the toll gantry, and they’re not going up for sale anytime soon, according to Lori Caron Silveira, executive director of the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority.
“The art deco-style ‘Pell Bridge Newport’ sign has been moved out of the elements, and we are making plans for future display of the sign on our premises,” she wrote in an email.
What’s happening with the construction on the toll gantry?
As for the construction work, Silveira said it’s on track to be completed by June.
Cumberland-based J.H Lynch was hired in September 2023 to build the new gantry and shift the highway to meet modern needs, RITBA engineering director Eric Seabury said at the September meeting. The work is expected to cost $10.7 million.
What and Why RI is a weekly feature by The Providence Journal to explore our readers' curiosity. If you have a question about Rhode Island, big or small, email it to klandeck@gannett.com. She loves a good question.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: 'Pell Bridge Newport' sign removed during construction. What's next?
