West Bank, also, East Bank, also, Washington Bridges. .
West Bank / East Bank. Fox Point / India Point and Watchemoket Square The Washington Bridge connects the historic neighborhoods of Fox Point/India Point in Providence and Watchemoket Square in East Providence. Since 1793, bridges spanning the Seekonk River have contributed to the growth of vibrant commercial, industrial, and residential communities (see Crossing the Seekonk River)., Watchemoket Square Changes to the eighteenth-century farming and fishing community in East Providence (then part of Seekonk, Massachusetts) began in the 1840s when improved access to Providence via the first Washington Bridge at India Point and the Central (Red) bridges to the north spurred development of residential subdivisions. After Rhode Island annexed East Providence in 1862, Watchemoket Square rapidly grew into a transportation hub with inns for travelers at the intersection of Warren and Taunton avenues. Between 1865 and 1895, Watchemoket's population exploded from 800 to over 6,000 residents, including Irish and Portuguese immigrants who moved across the river from Fox Point. The increasingly diverse ethnic inhabitants worked in local mills and factories or commuted by street car to jobs in Providence. Commerce at the Square expanded with groceries, hardware stores, and pharmacies. A flourishing oyster industry developed, and Wilkes-Barre Pier was built in 1879 for the discharge of coal. The Square's appearance today is largely due to construction of the 1930 Washington Bridge and of I-195 in the late 1950s., Fox Point/India Point First settled in the early seventeenth century, Fox Point is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Providence. Construction of the City's first wharf at Transit Street in 1680 heralded the dominance of the maritime industry. India Point derived its name from trading ships traveling between Fox Point and the East Indies. By 1800, 58 merchants' wharves crowded the waterfront. Over the next several decades an industrial area developed with facilities for passenger and freight vessels, and eventually railroads. Large numbers of immigrants from Ireland, Portugal, Cape Verde, and the Azores met the demand for labor. Crowded conditions led to removal of the "Corky Hill" bluff and infill of part of the Seekonk River, creating Gano Street (see Head of Narrangansett Bay). The 1938 Hurricane heavily damaged the dock district, and in 1966, I-195 separated the neighborhood from the waterfront. In 1972, a public park replaced India Point's scrap metal yards. The I-195 relocation project in the 2000s reestablished multiple connections between Fox Point and the shoreline.,
Washington Bridges. Washington Bridges 1928 to 2014 The Washington Bridges occupy the most heavily traveled vehicular crossing on the Seekonk River and are the newest in a series named for George Washington (see Crossing the Seekonk River). The current bridges were built over more than 90 years in four phases completed in 1930, 1968, 2008, and 2014., When the Washington Bridge No. 200 was dedicated in 1930, the American Society of Civil Engineers called it "a product of a combination of the highest type of engineering and architectural skill that will long stand as an object of utility and beauty of which the people of Rhode Island may well be proud.", The I-195 highway project completed in 1968 incorporated the Washington Bridge. Bridge No. 200 was modified for eastbound traffic, eliminating the draw span. The new concrete-arch Washington Bridge No. 700 was constructed immediately north of the 1930 bridge to carry westbound traffic. Later, repairs revealed the need to replace the aging Bridge No. 200. From 2003 to 2008, the State constructed a new steel-and-concrete Bridge No. 200 infilling the 45-foot gap between the two bridges. The innovative project changed a narrow portion of the historic arch spans on the south side of the original Bridge No. 200 into a path and park for cyclists and pedestrians that opened in 2014., [Sidebar:] New York City-based design engineer Clarence W. Hudson and lead contractor Merritt Chapman and Scott created an approximately 2,500-foot long, steel-and-concrete structure with 17 spans, including a double-leaf bascule draw span. At 85 feet wide, the exceptionally broad bridge had two sidewalks, four automobile lanes, and two street car tracks. The Classical Revival-style treatment, designed by New York architect Carl L. Otto, embodied the "City Beautiful" aesthetic, with two granite pylons at each end, four towers on the draw span piers, semicircular refuge bays, and 40 bronze street lamps. Granite and concrete decorative elements on the north and south faces included a State seal at each arch keystone.
West Bank / East Bank
Fox Point / India Point and Watchemoket Square
The Washington Bridge connects the historic neighborhoods of Fox Point/India Point in Providence and Watchemoket Square in East Providence. Since 1793, bridges spanning the Seekonk River have contributed to the growth of vibrant commercial, industrial, and residential communities (see Crossing the Seekonk River).
Watchemoket Square
Changes to the eighteenth-century farming and fishing community in East Providence (then part of Seekonk, Massachusetts) began in the 1840s when improved access to Providence via the first Washington Bridge at India Point and the Central (Red) bridges to the north spurred development of residential subdivisions. After Rhode Island annexed East Providence in 1862, Watchemoket Square rapidly grew into a transportation hub with inns for travelers at the intersection of Warren and Taunton avenues. Between 1865 and 1895, Watchemoket's population exploded from 800 to over 6,000 residents, including Irish and Portuguese immigrants who moved across the river from Fox Point. The increasingly diverse ethnic inhabitants worked in local mills and factories or commuted by street car to jobs in Providence. Commerce at the Square expanded with groceries, hardware stores,
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and pharmacies. A flourishing oyster industry developed, and Wilkes-Barre Pier was built in 1879 for the discharge of coal. The Square's appearance today is largely due to construction of the 1930 Washington Bridge and of I-195 in the late 1950s.
Fox Point/India Point
First settled in the early seventeenth century, Fox Point is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Providence. Construction of the City's first wharf at Transit Street in 1680 heralded the dominance of the maritime industry. India Point derived its name from trading ships traveling between Fox Point and the East Indies. By 1800, 58 merchants' wharves crowded the waterfront. Over the next several decades an industrial area developed with facilities for passenger and freight vessels, and eventually railroads. Large numbers of immigrants from Ireland, Portugal, Cape Verde, and the Azores met the demand for labor. Crowded conditions led to removal of the "Corky Hill" bluff and infill of part of the Seekonk River, creating Gano Street (see Head of Narrangansett Bay). The 1938 Hurricane heavily damaged the dock district, and in 1966, I-195 separated the neighborhood from the waterfront. In 1972, a public park replaced India Point's scrap metal yards. The I-195 relocation project in the 2000s reestablished multiple connections between Fox Point and the shoreline.
Washington Bridges 1928 to 2014
The Washington Bridges occupy the most heavily traveled vehicular crossing on the Seekonk River and are the newest in a series named for George Washington (see Crossing the Seekonk River). The current bridges were built over more than 90 years in four phases completed in 1930, 1968, 2008, and 2014.
When the Washington Bridge No. 200 was dedicated in 1930, the American Society of Civil Engineers called it "a product of a combination of the highest type of engineering and architectural skill that will long stand as an object of utility and beauty of which the people of Rhode Island may well be proud."
The I-195 highway project completed in 1968 incorporated the Washington Bridge. Bridge No. 200 was modified for eastbound traffic, eliminating the draw span. The new concrete-arch Washington Bridge No. 700 was constructed immediately north of the 1930 bridge to carry westbound traffic. Later, repairs revealed the need to replace the aging Bridge No. 200. From 2003 to 2008, the State constructed a new steel-and-concrete Bridge No. 200 infilling the 45-foot gap between the two bridges. The innovative project changed a narrow portion of the historic arch spans on the south side of the original Bridge No. 200 into a path and park for cyclists and pedestrians that opened in 2014.
3. West Bank / East Bank / Washington Bridges Marker
York City-based design engineer Clarence W. Hudson and lead contractor Merritt Chapman & Scott created an approximately 2,500-foot long, steel-and-concrete structure with 17 spans, including a double-leaf bascule draw span. At 85 feet wide, the exceptionally broad bridge had two sidewalks, four automobile lanes, and two street car tracks. The Classical Revival-style treatment, designed by New York architect Carl L. Otto, embodied the "City Beautiful" aesthetic, with two granite pylons at each end, four towers on the draw span piers, semicircular refuge bays, and 40 bronze street lamps. Granite and concrete decorative elements on the north and south faces included a State seal at each arch keystone.
Location. 41° 49.139′ N, 71° 23.228′ W. Marker is in Providence, Rhode Island, in Providence County. It is in Fox Point. Marker is on East Bay Bike Path east of Water Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Providence RI 02903, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 8, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 131 times since then and 60 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on May 8, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
