The next step is to remove the tangled remains of the steel truss of the bridge from Narragansett Bay.

01:00 AM EDT on Thursday, April 20, 2006

BY ARTHUR GREGG SULZBERGER
Journal Staff Writer

JAMESTOWN -- While many Rhode Islanders took a day off work to bid farewell to the old Jamestown Bridge on Tuesday, the demolition of the 1,100-foot-long center section was actually just the beginning of the end of the storied span.

The process of taking down the rest of the derelict bridge and fishing out the thousands of tons of steel and concrete that once formed the longest bridge in New England will continue through the summer and into the fall.

After just a day's break, workers will begin a month-long salvage operation, to remove the tangled remains of the steel truss of the bridge from the 35-foot-deep water. Divers will attach cables to the broken sections, which will be hauled out and cut into smaller pieces on work barges. One beam that failed to fully separate from the pier during the blast will be removed today with the help of a crane, said Frank Corrao, an engineer with the state Department of Transportation, who is overseeing the project.

Cashman Equipment Co., the Boston-based construction company that is overseeing the demolition project, was awarded the steel as part of the $19.5-million demolition contract and will sell the scrap metal for recycling. Even after 66 years of abuse from the harsh Narragansett Bay weather, the 6,000 tons of steel contained in the old bridge remains valuable. Market price for scrap steel is more than $150 a ton.

The concrete from the bridge is being dumped at three offshore sites -- two sites about a mile and a half off Newport and a third site in Rhode Island Sound -- for the formation of artificial reefs.

The second phase of the demolition which will remove the two 1,100-foot deck truss sections, is scheduled for mid-May, said Corrao. The blasting will be followed by another month-long salvage operation.

A third major blasting, which will take down the two massive center piers that supported the main bridge span, will take place by the end of June, said Corrao.

A series of smaller blasts -- each requiring a bridge closure of up to a half hour -- as well as the continuing salvage operation will keep bridge demolition workers busy until October, when the DOT hopes to have the project completed.

The west passage of the Bay will be closed to boat traffic throughout the demolition and salvage process, said Corrao. All debris will be removed from the Bay and will not cause contamination, he said.

A final stretch of the bridge on the North Kingstown side will be demolished at a later date. The section was originally intended to be converted into a fishing pier but has deteriorated significantly in the 14 years since the bridge closed to traffic and is no longer structurally sound.

asulzber@projo.com/ (401) 277-7405

EXTRA: Watch the bridge fall, in slow-motion photos, and on video, send in your own photos and reports from the event, and recap coverage, at:

http://projo.com/extra/2006/jamestownbridge/