Mount Hope Bridge

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The Mount Hope Bridge is a two-lane suspension bridge spanning the Mount Hope Bay in eastern Rhode Island, at one of the narrowest gaps in Narragansett Bay. The bridge connects the Rhode Island towns of Portsmouth and Bristol, and is part of Route 114. Its towers are 285 (87 meters) feet tall, the length of the main span is 1,200 feet (366 meters) and it offers 135 feet (41 meters) of clearance over high water. The total length of the bridge is 6,130 feet (1,868 meters).

Mount Hope Bridge linking Portsmouth, RI, to Bristol, RI

Its construction was originally proposed in 1920. After a few years of resistance from the Rhode Island General Assembly, the New Hope Bridge Company was incorporated in 1927. Designed by Robinson & Steinman, construction by began on December 1, 1927.

Four months before it was scheduled to open, serious structural problems were discovered, forcing the contractor to disassemble and reassemble significant portions of the bridge.

On October 24, 1929 (about five months behind schedule), the $5,000,000 bridge was opened to traffic. It was owned by the Mount Hope Bridge Company as a private toll bridge, with the initial toll costing 60 cents one-way, and $1 for a round-trip.

It remained the longest bridge in New England for 40 years, until the opening of the Claiborne Pell Bridge in Newport, Rhode Island.

In 1954, with the company in receivership, the Mount Hope Bridge was purchased by the State of Rhode Island. (The toll was discontinued in 1998, after it was calculated that the 30-cent toll was not enough to cover the cost of collecting it.)

Mount Hope Bridge One fare token (front & back) for the Mount Hope Bridge

Mount Hope Bridge Commemorative medal (front & back) struck in 1929, honouring the opening of the Mount Hope Bridge

In 1971, the Mount Hope Bridge was considered for inclusion as part of the never-built Interstate 895. This plan would have required the construction of a parallel span, and the entire I-895 plan was eventually dropped due to community opposition throughout the affected areas of Rhode Island.

The Mount Hope Bridge has been listed since 1976 with the National Register of Historic Places (Structure #76000038).

It underwent more than $15 million in renovations between 1998 and 2004.