Opening of the Mount Hope Bridge, 1929

Mount Hope bridge.

Image of the opening of the Mount Hope Bridge that connects Bristol and Portsmouth.
Construction on the Mount Hope Bridge began on December 1, 1927, and the bridge opened to traffic on October 24, 1929. The Mount Hope Bridge, designed in 1927 by Robinson and Steinman, and built under their supervision in the following two years, is a prize-winning suspension bridge over Mount Hope Bay between Portsmouth and Bristol. With a main span of 1200 feet, the Mount Hope Bridge was for many years the longest suspension bridge in New England. Originally built for the Mount Hope Bridge Company as a privately owned toll bridge, it was purchased by the State of Rhode Island in 1955 and is now administered by the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority, which succeeded the Mount Hope Bridge Authority in 1964.

Excerpts from: RI Turnpike and Bridge Authority - Mt. Hope Bridge Background and History

RI Turnpike and Bridge Authority

Accession: 2001-35

Rhode Island State Archives

1929

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