Memorial Bridge in Providence
From Highway Infrastructure to Slow Mobility Crossing
INFORM Studio
The cyclo-pedestrian bridge on the Providence River connects two parts of the city, without merely serving as a connector but instead acting as an urban mediator between artificial and natural spaces, turning into a peculiar public space. The idea of realizing a pedestrian bridge dates to 10 years before the start of its operation, following the decision to demolish Interstate I-195, an old motorway from the ‘50s that crossed the river by cutting Providence into two parts. For this reason, in the ‘90s, the Municipal Administration promoted the implementation of an urban regeneration project. This resulted in realizing two new public parks along the river, connected by a 140-meter-long pedestrian walkway, whose project won a 2010 tender. The new bridge is the result of this reuse and reconversion plan: to limit the removal and disposal costs of the huge piers sustaining the motorway, the bridge was constructed by reusing the pre-existing infrastructures through a perpendicular superimposition with the five old granitic pilasters, which transform into a sequence of decks.
