EAST PROVIDENCE — About six weeks after it reopened and just about that many months time until the overall project is completed, one local legislator is attempting to make sure the reconstructed Hunts Mills Bridge is well cared for going forward.

Late last week, State Rep. Katherine S. Kazarian (D-Dist. 63, East Providence, Pawtucket) introduced a bill (2023-H 5206) that would ban heavy commercial trucks from traveling on Pleasant Street in Rumford where the bridge is located.

As written, the act would prohibit commercial trucks with a gross weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, from traveling on Pleasant Street/Route 114A between Pawtucket Avenue and the Massachusetts state line in Seekonk. If traversed illegally, the driver would incur an initial $55 fine. Subsequent violations would be $110 each.

“It was only less than a year ago when the Hunts Mill Bridge was closed due to structural deficiencies and now that the bridge has been fixed, we must protect the taxpayers’ investment. Combine this fact with the obvious concerns of excessive noise, traffic and speeding through a residential neighborhood and it becomes clear that large commercial trucks should not be on this stretch of road,” said Kazarian, the sixth-term incumbent who is the Majority Whip in the leadership team of Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi.

The Hunts Mill Bridge, built in 1926, was actually deemed structurally deficient in 2011. The project is part of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation’s “RhodeWorks” program and at a cost of $6.75 million. It is being funding through the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The span, which is located in what state and local officials agree is in one of the most historically important areas in East Providence, was formally closed to traffic on July 22 of last year. Demolition of the existing structure was completed in August. The new bridge, as anticipated, reopened to traffic this past December, though cosmetic work continues. It is expected to be completed in full by sometime this summer. According to RIDOT, its’ design replicates the bridge's historic features while making it a modern structure.

The bridge carries approximately 11,420 vehicles per day and is an important route connecting communities in both states in an around the Taunton Avenue/Route 44 corridor, which would serve as an alternative throughway if Kazarian’s legislation is eventually passed and becomes law.

“There are no businesses on this stretch of roadway, only homes, residents and children who wait by the side of the road at their school bus stops every morning. Heavy industrial trucks quickly passing through the area pose a significant safety risk to these kids while also negatively contributing to the quality of life of this neighborhood. It is for these clear reasons that I introduced this bill,” Kazarian added.