In an operation that altered the landscape of Providence, R.I. overnight, a contractor late last month wheeled a 5.5-million-lb bridge section onto specially equipped barges, then placed it onto 30-ft-tall piers as part of an $85-million contract. The section is a 450-ft long, 160-ft wide, 85-ft high cable-stayed arched steel span. It is part of a 1,235-ft-long bridge, including steel box girders and precast concrete spans, that will carry a relocated section of Interstate 195 across the Providence River. Cardi Corp., Warwick, R.I., started work in winter 2003 on the key component of a $550-million program to replace the existing I-95 and I-195 interchange. Cardi opted to build the section off site. "When we put the contract out, we knew there was a possibility that someone might want to build it off site, so we had provisions in the contract to have land secured," says James Caroselli, Rhode Island Dept. of Transportation chief civil engineer of construction operations.
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