Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by Providence Post on February 5, 2026. Copyright ppsri.org. Reprinted with permission.
Rhode Island Department of Transportation is scheduled to demolish the bridge in 2026-2027; The city may want to take ownership of the bridge, create an authority to oversee its redevelopment
Crook Point Bascule Bridge is scheduled to be demolished by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) sometime this year or next, unless Providence’s municipal government takes swift action.
Mayor Brett Smiley expressed interest in transferring ownership of the permanently upright bridge from the state to the city, as well as the creation of a public authority to oversee the redevelopment of Crook Point. The Ordinance Committee of the City Council discussed the Crook Point Bascule Bridge at its meeting the evening of Feb. 4, passing a resolution urging the creation of a Crook Point Bridge Authority by the Rhode Island General Assembly.
The measure was introduced in the state legislature on Jan. 21, and was referred to the House Municipal Government & Housing Committee.
The City’s Chief Operating Officer Courtney Hawkins testified to the Ordinance Committee on the matter, emphasizing the urgency of moving forward with a plan to take ownership of the former railway.
“The idea behind this is that we would then contemplate taking the Crook Point Bridge, which is currently owned by RIDOT, into city possession,” Hawkins said. The Crook Point Bridge Authority would be the official owner of the bridge, not the City of Providence, much like how the Providence Public Building Authority oversees a portfolio of buildings in the city.
“This is just the first step,” she added. “The process of taking the bridge and the discussion about that would come to the Council for approval.”
“We do need to move quickly because the bridge is scheduled for demolition in 2026-2027,” Hawkins said. “There’s $6 million in the Department of Transportation [State Transportation Improvement Program] that’s allocated to that.”
“If this bridge is not demolished, that money would then be invested in the cruise site that we’ve been working on by India Point,” according to Hawkins.
“DOT is committed to repurposing that money for the development of that cruise terminal, which would be great,” Hawkins explained, “but if we don’t move quickly, they’re just going to use the money to take the bridge down.” If the authority was created or the bridge went into city possession, there’s no concrete plan as of yet for the bridge, Hawkins said.
The authority would oversee “the development and maintenance of this city landmark in the public interest,” according to the Ordinance Committee’s resolution.
“I don’t see any potential use of this bridge,” Ward 15 Councilor Oscar Vargas said.
“It’s an important landmark in the city,” Hawkins said in response to Vargas. “For a lot of folks, they believe it should be preserved. Whether or not it is just preserved as it is or if it becomes something else is to be determined.”
The authority, which would have to be approved by the State legislature, would comprise three members appointed by the mayor and approved by the City Council.
“The work of this board is going to be very limited, so it might be challenging to find folks that want to do this, given that it’s not a board that’s going to have tremendous impact,” Hawkins said. “The reason I’m pushing on this is that if we don’t show momentum, I think RIDOT is going to start mobilizing and we’re going to lose the opportunity.”
The resolution passed unanimously in the Ordinance Committee.
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