The City of Providence and the Providence Redevelopment Agency are hosting a design competition to generate reuse ideas for the Crook Point Bascule Bridge. (No luxury condo towers please.) A 10-year transportation plan, issued last year by RIDOT, scheduled demolition for 2026-27, earmarking $6 million for the removal.
The Crook Point Bascule Bridge is a steel railway drawbridge that once connected Providence’s Fox Point neighborhood to the City of East Providence across the Seekonk River. The bridge—which is also referred to as the Seekonk River Drawbridge or Crook Point Bridge—is currently unused and fixed in the upright position. Since 1976, when the bridge and tunnel were abandoned, Providence residents and visitors have been fascinated by the bridge, as a symbol of Providence’s industrial past and as a sculptural element of the city’s skyline.
This iconic structure made the Providence Preservation Society’s Most Endangered Property List this year.
The Crook Point Bascule Bridge is a rolling lift (or Scherzer, patented in 1893) railroad drawbridge connecting the East Side of Providence to East Providence across the Seekonk River. It was built in 1908 to carry the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad line.
Word of the bridge’s demise was illuminated in the release last year of the state’s 10-year transportation plan, which scheduled demolition for 2026-27.
Round One submissions are due electronically by Sunday, November 29. Questions regarding this opportunity may be directed via email to Alexis Kievning.
Those interested in submitting ideas are encouraged to review the full Call for Design Ideas.
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You can approach the Providence end of the bridge from the bike path. Park at Eastside Martketplace, walk around the left side of the building to the back, and you will see an entrance to the path.
