Posted in Rhode Island Attractions June 04, 2022 by

Once The Longest Suspension Bridge In New England, Rhode Island’s Mount Hope Bridge Was A True Feat Of Engineering

Rhode Island’s Mount Hope Bridge might be one of its most recognizable landmarks, a popular path for those traveling between Bristol and Portsmouth along Route 114. However, the beautiful Rhode Island landmark is far more than a means to shuttle travelers. Once the longest suspension bridge in New England, it’s also a true engineering feat.

Measuring 6,129 feet, Mount Hope Bridge has been shuttling travelers from Bristol to Portsmouth and vice-versa since it opened in October of 1929.
Flickr/C. Hanchey
Prior to the bridge's opening, travelers crossed Mount Hope Bay on a ferry.
The wire-cable suspension bridge featured a few distinguishing characteristics for the time, including it sporting green paint as way for the bridge to blend into the natural scenery that surrounded it.
Wikipedia/Eric Harrison
"Artistic lighting" was also used to illuminate the bridge at night.
One of the most recognizable features of the popular bridge is, undoubtedly, its towers that measure 285 feet.
Google/Ponchy Monchy
Unfortunately, the Mount Hope Bridge's history is also peppered with turmoil. Part of the bridge, in fact, was deemed structually unsound.
Wikimedia Commons/Bags27
As a result, part of the bridge had to be taken apart and reassembled - just four months before its scheduled opening date.
Wikimedia Commons/Bags27
Traffic began traveling over the bridge on October 24, 1929, just a handful of days before the Great Stock Market Crash, which would, in part, trigger the Great Depression.
Wikimedia Commons/Bags27
The State of Rhode Island purchased the bridge in 1954. Today, an estimated 15,000 vehicles drive on the bridge, which sits 135 feet above the water, each day.
Wikipedia/DaveR514~commonswiki
On January 31, 1976, the historic bridge earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.
Flickr/C. Hanchey
Mount Hope Bridge held the title of New England's longest suspension bridge until 1969.
Google/Heather Dube
That year, the Claiborne/Newport Pell Bridge opened, claiming the title for itself.
Google/Chris Kaihler

What do you think of Rhode Island’s Mount Hope Bridge? Let us know in the comments! Have you traveled across the longest swinging bridge in Rhode Island yet?

Address: Mount Hope Bridge, 23 Mt Hope Bridge, Bristol, RI 02809, USA