Route 4 Bridge over Lafayette Road Replacement

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) launched a comprehensive bridge program named Rhodeworks to address the extensive backlog of deficient bridges across the state. In this ambitious initiative, CHA assumed the role of the engineer of record for the superstructure replacement of the Route 4 bridge over Lafayette Road in North Kingstown. The project involved using Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) techniques to dramatically reduce impacts on the traveling public.

CHA designed a strategy centered around using the lateral slide method (LSM), a cost-effective construction method to replace a superstructure in as short as one weekend. Under this method, the new superstructures (northbound and southbound) were built alongside the existing bridge prior to interrupting traffic on Route 4 and with minimal interruption of traffic on Lafayette Road. Once complete, the superstructures were replaced in two weekends, one half at a time. Notably, CHA employed an innovative semi-integral backwall detail that eliminated the bridge joints at the ends of the bridge, improving the bridge’s long-term durability.