The Cabinet

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Record 1 of 1

Title:
  • The Newport Bridge / James M. Ricci ; foreword by former Governor Lincoln Chafee.
Call No:
  • TG400
  • .R53
Summary note:
  • "Newport is a premier destination, but getting to the city has not always been easy. For three centuries, ferries crossed Narragansett Bay's East Passage. That all changed on June 28, 1969, the day the Newport Bridge opened, and it closed the last remaining gap between Aquidneck and Conanicut Islands. Proponents of the bridge persevered political squabbles and delays for twenty-five years following World War II to make it a reality. The longest suspension bridge in the region incorporated several new technologies and construction techniques and changed the face of Rhode Island. Author James Ricci details the trials and tribulations that produced an iconic bridge." --
Subjects:
Author:
Physical Description:
  • 270 pages :
  • illustrations ;
  • 23 cm
Notes:
  • Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-270).
  • Foreword / Lincoln Chafee -- Introduction : avenue of progress -- America's first resort. The Newport scene ; A desirable place ; Getting to Newport ; Newport in 1960 -- The struggles for approval. Early momentum : the Newport-Jamestown bridge commission ; The second wave : the Narragansett Bay bridge authority ; "You can't stop progress" ; It better be beautiful ; Not necessarily a necessity -- The Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority. The birth of the RITBA ; The tunnel ; A fortuitous appointment ; A highly excitable controversy ; The 1960 referendum ; RITBA under siege -- Approval. The proponent-in-chief ; A doubt of major proportions removed ; An irremediable mistake ; A grave oversight -- Another fine mess. The interest expense debacle ; A shadow on the credit of the state ; The no-bid contract ; The approach roads ; One more for the road : spiraling construction costs -- Building the bridge. The engineers ; The substructure ; Mishaps and tragedies ; The superstructure ; What's the holdup? ; Sure-footed Native Americans -- Conclusion : a monument to perseverance -- Epilogue.
  • "Newport is a premier destination, but getting to the city has not always been easy. For three centuries, ferries crossed Narragansett Bay's East Passage. That all changed on June 28, 1969, the day the Newport Bridge opened, and it closed the last remaining gap between Aquidneck and Conanicut Islands. Proponents of the bridge persevered political squabbles and delays for twenty-five years following World War II to make it a reality. The longest suspension bridge in the region incorporated several new technologies and construction techniques and changed the face of Rhode Island. Author James Ricci details the trials and tribulations that produced an iconic bridge." --
Location:
  • Reading Room
    • MARC Values:
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