Stone Bridge crumbling, needs repair

TIVERTON, R.I. (WPRI) - What's left of the old Stone Bridge in Tiverton is in danger of collapsing one day, and that could mean big problems for parts of Portsmouth and Tiverton.

The bridge was built around 1900 as a connection between Portsmouth and Tiverton. Hurricane Carol destroyed the overpass in 1954. The remains had been used as a fishing pier, until it became too dangerous and state officials closed it. Now, the state is searching for funds to rebuild the bridge altogether. As the bridge stands now -- crumbling -- officials worry about another major hurricane coming along.

"If we get a good storm and it comes apart, it's going to do quite a bit of damage to the Tiverton Basin," said Tiverton Town Administrator Jim Goncalvo.

Ken Hilton has lived and worked around the Standish Boat Yard for 40 years, and knows the waters well. "It would be a catastrophic event with that stone bridge completely out," he said.

A storm surge and large waves would wreak havoc in the Basin: "Moorings breaking... Boats going down and into other marinas," said Hilton.

"The abutment is washing out," said Goncalvo. "On the north side it's collapsed to some degree and it's being underwashed."

The town of Tiverton did receive a grant to design the repair for the abutment. That part is almost complete. For the rest, "we're looking anywhere from $2 million to $3 million," said Goncalvo. The town administrator says he's sought congressional and state funds with no success, and now hopes for some economic stimulus money.

"If we could get some recovery funds," Goncalvo said, "then that would help. We're going to search and search and search for funding."