The Claiborne Pell Bridge, commonly known as the Newport Bridge, is a suspension bridge operated by the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority that spans the East Passage of the Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island (northeastern United States). The bridge, part of RI 138, connects the city of Newport on Aquidneck Island and the Town of Jamestown on Conanicut Island, and is named for longtime Rhode Island U.S. senator Claiborne Pell who lived in Newport. The Pell Bridge is in turn connected to the mainland by the Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge.
Dimensions
The main span of the Newport Bridge is , making it the longest suspension bridge in New England. The overall length of the bridge is . Its main towers reach above the water surface, and the roadway height reaches as high as . It is four lanes wide, two in each direction. On a clear day, the bridge's towers are visible from the observation plaza at the Gay Head Light in Aquinnah on the Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard, from the upper floors of skyscrapers in Providence (approximately 22 miles), and as far northwest as the parking lot of Stone Hill Marketplace in Johnston, RI (approximately 23 miles) and Interstate 295 south in Smithfield north of U.S. Route 44. The Providence skyline is likewise visible from the bridge deck.
Tolls
The Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge is a toll bridge. As of 2022, the toll is US$4.00 for cars with a non-resident EZ-Pass, and US$6.00 for cars without an EZ-Pass. The toll for Rhode Island residents with an EZ-Pass is US$0.83.
From its opening in 1969 until 2009, the toll could be paid by cash or with tokens, which were purchased at the RIBTA office in Jamestown. E-ZPass was introduced as a toll payment in 2008. Shortly thereafter, the tokens were phased out as a form of toll payment. The final day that tokens were accepted on the bridge was December 31, 2009. Following that date, the only accepted forms of payment were cash or E-ZPass.
Rhode Island residents with a Rhode Island E-ZPass pay a discounted toll of only 83 cents once they sign up for the RIR-RI Resident Discount Plan. Early in 2012, the Authority had voted to raise tolls for passenger vehicles to $5. However, on June 15, 2012, this plan was abolished as Rhode Island lawmakers approved tolls to be added to the newly built Sakonnet River Bridge in the future. The bridge also charges a fee equal to the toll for improperly mounted E-ZPass transponders that require a toll-booth operator to manually raise the gate. Out-of-state residents pay full price, even with a Rhode Island E-ZPass, making this bridge the only toll facility in the U.S. to give a residence discount that isn't limited to the adjacent neighborhoods. The bridge was the only toll road in Rhode Island until August 19, 2013, when the Authority began collecting tolls on the new Sakonnet River Bridge. However, toll collection on that bridge ended on June 20, 2014.
Cash tolling was discontinued on the bridge in October 2021 in favor of all-electronic tolling through EZ-Pass or bill-by-mail.
Bicycles and pedestrians are not permitted on this bridge, but Rhode Island Public Transit Authority bus #64 has bike racks for weekday and Saturday travel.
History
The bridge was constructed from 1966 to 1969 at a cost of U.S.$54,742,000 by the Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade & Douglas company.
The bridge opened on June 28, 1969, with ceremonies, celebrations, and fanfare.
The bridge was renamed for U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell in 1992, though it is still commonly referred to as the Newport Bridge by residents of nearby towns.
The bridge was featured on the Rhode Island state quarter in 2001.
The first time that runners were allowed over the bridge was when a group of 300 runners ran over in the early 1980s in a half-marathon for Save The Bay. In the fall of 2011, the inaugural Citizens Bank Newport Pell Bridge Run was held which marked the first time in recent history that runners were allowed to cross the bridge (which was closed to traffic).