The Stone Bridge was a

bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...

that carried Rhode Island Route 138 over the Sakonnet River between

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

and Tiverton. The span was built in 1907, replacing an earlier wooden bridge. It was severely damaged by Hurricane Carol in 1954, and replaced in 1956 by the Sakonnet River Bridge.

History

Postcard of streetcar on the Stone Bridge

A ferry between Portsmouth and Tiverton – probably the first regular ferry in Rhode Island – began operating in 1640. It was variously known as Howland's Ferry (after the family that ran it from around 1703 to 1776), Pocasset Ferry, Sanford's Ferry and Wanton's Ferry.''Rhode Island: A Guide to the Smallest State,'' Federal Writers' Project (US History Publishers, 1977) pg. 41

/ref> A privately-owned wooden toll bridge was built in 1795. After it was destroyed several times by storms, a stone causeway with a wooden draw span was built in 1810. The towns of Tiverton and Portsmouth purchased the bridge in 1871 and conveyed it to the state. The

Newport Street Railway Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay *Newport (Vietnam), a United States Army and Army of th ...

opened in 1898 between Newport and

Fall River, Massachusetts Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States census, making it the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, tenth-largest city in the state, and the second- ...

. The heavy streetcars necessitated replacement of the wooden draw span. A double-leaf steel rolling lift bridge opened in 1907. The bridge was severely damaged by Hurricane Carol in 1954, and replaced in 1956 by the Sakonnet River Bridge, which was under construction at the time of the hurricane, located to the north. The span was closed to marine traffic after the hurricane. After inspection, it was decided to close the bridge to bus and truck traffic on January 13, 1955. It was then closed to all vehicles on January 18, 1955. Pedestrians were allowed to walk across. Repairs were made and the bridge reopened to all traffic on March 3, 1955. It remained in service until the opening of the Sakonnet River Bridge in 1956. The remaining approaches serve as breakwaters and fishing piers.

References

External links

Tiverton Stone Bridge Committee
with historic photographs
Report of the Stone Bridge Commission, 1904
1907 establishments in Rhode Island Bridges completed in 1907 Bridges in Newport County, Rhode Island Demolished bridges in the United States Former road bridges in the United States Road bridges in Rhode Island Stone arch bridges in the United States 1957 disestablishments in Rhode Island Buildings and structures demolished in 1957 {{RhodeIsland-bridge-struct-stub