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 PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) announced that closed the Ten Mile River Bridges on Dec. 30, 2011. The bridges carry North Broadway over the Ten Mile River and over a nearby small stream in East Providence. The weight limit on the bridges was posted at 3 tons in July 2011, but the results of a recent inspection revealed deterioration significant enough to prompt RIDOT to close the spans.

RIDOT is in the process of awarding a contract for the rehabilitation of these bridges, and was set to close them in late winter for this work. The bridges will remain closed for approximately two years.

"We regret the need to close these bridges ahead of schedule, but motorist safety must be our first concern," RIDOT Director Michael P. Lewis said. "We will ensure that the new bridges are completed as expeditiously as possible."

The work to close the bridges will be done by D'Ambra Construction of Warwick, who is the apparent low bidder for the $2.8 million rehabilitation project. RIDOT will completely replace the superstructure on both bridges.