Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge

The Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge, often referred to as the Newport Bridge, was opened in 1969. It is a wire cable suspension, with a deck truss stiffening truss. The bridge also has 52 approach spans, which are a Warren deck truss. This bridge is the longest suspensions bridge in New England.

Planning for the bridge began in 1934, but progress was delayed until after World War II. Serious efforts to replace the ferry with a fixed crossing began in 1948. The bridge was constructed from 1966 to 1969, with the official opening being on June 28, 1969. It was originally called the Newport Bridge, but was renamed for Senator Claiborne Pell in 1992.

This bridge is a toll bridge, which is owned, operated and maintained by the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority. The bridge could originally be paid for using cash or tokens. However, E-ZPass was installed in 2008, and the tokens were phased out at the end of 2009.

This bridge was originally intended to be part of a highway connecting to Rhode Island Route 24 in Portsmouth. However, this highway was never completed, and traffic on the bridge ended at a traffic light. The onramp overpass was constructed, and was called the "Bridge to Nowhere" or "Highway to Nowhere". Plans were made to reconfigure the interchange from 2001 to 2020, and construction on the new approach started in 2021. The new ramp opened to eastbound traffic in October of 2022 and was the connector roads were completed in January of 2023. The original “Bridge to Nowhere” was demolished in April of 2023.

The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority is currently working on a major rehabilitation of the bridge. This project will include adding a de-humidification system in the cables, repairing the tower elevator, replacing the finger joints, adding security cameras, repainting the towers and a partial deck reconstruction. These project is still in the development phase, so no dates have been published.