Hopkins Hollow Bridge Reopens after Repair Project

COVENTRY, RI—The Hopkins Hollow Bridge in Coventry is open once again.

The state Department of Transportation announced that the bridge was open on Friday, about three weeks after it was closed to traffic for a $400,000 reconstruction project.

Drivers have been using detours to get around the bridge closure, which, in this part of rural Coventry, has added a bit of time to many residents' commutes.

The repair project is part of a larger $6.5 million short-term bridge repair project involving nine bridges across the state.

Crews filled cracks and voids between the bridges'c concrete arch and structural components. Much of the closure time was to allow for proper curing time for a two-inch layer of grout being used for the repair.

The DOT estimated the bridge would be closed for three weeks and originally planned to close it on April 18. That was delayed by several days.

Local authorities had special emergency plans and were prepared for the bridge closure. But it was still blamed for adding several minutes of response time to a devastating April 25 fire in Western Coventry on Greenhouse Road.