Reed Headlines Tour of Stillwater Viaduct

Friday's rain held off long enough for federal, state, and local officials to cut a ceremonial ribbon on the Stillwater Viaduct, marking the anticipated reopening of the 80-year-old span next week.

U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, Rhode Island Department of Transportation Director Michael Lewis, state Sen. John Tassoni (D-Dist. 22), and Smithfield Town Council President Michael Flynn were among the attendees of the ceremony.

Lewis noted that the work will be completed ahead of schedule — and far earlier than it would have taken if the Viaduct had not been shut down to traffic.

"We made a commitment to the town to get in and get out so we could get the roadway back open, and we beat the [anticipated completion] date by five weeks, so it worked well for everybody," Lewis said during an interview after he walked across the new surface of the viaduct. "Traditionally, the way this would have been designed to be done would have taken four years to complete because we would have kept one lane open to traffic and constructed it in stages. [The town officials] worked with us, and the proof is in the pudding — here we are, five weeks ahead of when it was previously planned."

We'll post more from Friday's ceremony — including video — early next week on SmithfieldPatch.