DOT dismantles painted Point St. bridge

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Progress is taking down a very public art display in Providence, but the man who created it says he completely understands.

The Dept. of Transportation is dismantling the Point Street Overpass. The old bridge is no longer needed, now that they Iway is open to traffic.

But this bridge is no ordinary overpass, it's covered in artwork that artists started working on in 1997, dodging cars as they brought the 16 foot high walls to life.

One of the artists, Brent Bachelder, says, "you had to be really careful to know there was traffic and not to just run across and get paint or something like that. We had a few near misses."

Bachelder came up with the mural's concept and design. He admits that while his crew did have a letter of recommendation from the Mayor, they never had official approval from the D.O.T.

"After the first year we got it done no one came to us and said you can't do that. So we sort of took that as applied consent."

Bachelder visits the demolition site from time to time, to watch the concrete crumble. He says he'd love to get his hands on a souvenir, especially one of the dozen or so eyeballs painted onto the cement.

Bachelder says the bridge's demise is sad, but the progress is still exciting, even if it does level art.