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35-632: Before the bridge was built, a ferry operated between Bristol and Portsmouth. The 1855 Bristol Ferry Light still remains at the base of the bridge. The Mount Hope Bridge was originally proposed in 1920, and the New Hope Bridge Company was incorporated in 1927, after a few years of resistance from the Rhode Island General Assembly and with the influence of state senator and business leader William Henry Vanderbilt III . Construction began on December 1, 1927, using

70-402: A design by Robinson & Steinman . Serious structural problems were discovered four months before it was to open, forcing the contractor to disassemble and reassemble portions of the bridge. On October 24, 1929, Vanderbilt gave the opening address at the dedication ceremony where a radio link was set up with Washington, D.C. The $ 5,000,000 bridge was opened to traffic and, five days later,

105-482: A large army". Dutch navigator Adriaen Block explored and mapped the bay in 1614, and nearby Block Island is named in his honor. The first permanent Colonial settlement was established in 1636 by Roger Williams , a former member of the Massachusetts Bay Colony . He was friends with Narragansett sachem Canonicus , who provided him with land on which to build Providence Plantations . Around

140-737: A seasonal variability, with the highest flow in the spring and the minimum flow in early fall. The bay is a ria estuary (a drowned river valley) which is composed of the Sakonnet River valley, the East Passage river valley, and the West Passage river valley. The bathymetry varies greatly among the three passages, with the average depths of the East, West, and Sakonnet River passages being 121 feet (37 m), 33 feet (10 m), and 25 feet (7.6 m) respectively. Narragansett Bay

175-462: A small archipelago. Small parts of the bay extend into Massachusetts . There are more than 30 islands in the bay; the three largest ones are Aquidneck Island , Conanicut Island , and Prudence Island . Bodies of water that are part of Narragansett Bay include the Sakonnet River , Mount Hope Bay , and the southern, tidal part of the Taunton River . The bay opens on Rhode Island Sound and

210-406: Is a ria that consists of a series of flooded river valleys formed of dropped crustal blocks in a horst and graben system that is slowly subsiding between a shifting fault system. Providence is Rhode Island 's capital and largest city and sits at the northernmost arm of the bay. Many of Providence's suburbs are also on the bay, including East Providence , Warwick and Cranston . Newport

245-647: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a Registered Historic Place in Bristol County , Rhode Island is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Narragansett Bay Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering 147 square miles (380 km ), 120.5 square miles (312 km ) of which is in Rhode Island . The bay forms New England 's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes

280-531: Is a historic lighthouse in Bristol, Rhode Island , United States. It is located on the shores of Narragansett Bay at Bristol Point, the northern land point of Mount Hope Bay at the base of the Mount Hope Bridge . The two-story square brick lighthouse was built in 1855, along with an attached 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 -story brick keeper's house. Its use was discontinued in 1927 with the construction of

315-475: Is demarcated as a continuation (not connected to the main bike path and not safe for those with young children as there is no sidewalk for the majority of the way) of that state bike route by the State of Rhode Island, although it does not contain a bicycle lane or separate bike route. Signs have been posted on the bridge urging motorists to "share the road". Earlier discussions of adding a full, off-road bike route to

350-472: Is highest in winter and lowest in summer, while CSOs increase dramatically following heavy rain. Water from these freshwater inputs mixes with sea water to form a salinity gradient ranging from 24 ppt at the mouth of the Providence River to 32 ppt at the mouth of the bay. Water temperatures range between -0.5 °C and 24 °C over the year. Salinity and temperature patterns measured throughout

385-571: Is located at the south end of Aquidneck Island on the ocean, and is the home of the United States Naval War College , the Naval Undersea Warfare Center , and a major United States Navy training center. The city of Fall River, Massachusetts is located at the confluence of the Taunton River and Mount Hope Bay , which form the northeasternmost part of Narragansett Bay. The southwest side of

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420-602: The Claiborne Pell Bridge opened a few miles to the south in Newport, Rhode Island . In 1971, the Mount Hope Bridge was considered for inclusion as part of the never-built Interstate 895 . This plan would have required the construction of a parallel span, and the entire I-895 plan was eventually dropped due to community opposition throughout the projected route. The Mount Hope Bridge was listed on

455-557: The Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge , Jamestown-Verrazzano and Sakonnet Bridge ). The Mount Hope Bridge was purchased by the State of Rhode Island in 1954, with the company in receivership . The bridge's toll was eventually reduced from 60 cents to 30 cents for a one-way trip. It was finally discontinued in 1998, after calculations indicated that the toll was not high enough to cover the cost of collecting it. Bristol Ferry Light Bristol Ferry Light

490-623: The National Register of Historic Places in 1976. It underwent more than $ 15 million in renovations between 1998 and 2004. In 2007, Bicycles were permitted on the bridge, but bicyclists were advised by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation to use extreme caution. In 2023, the Rhode Island Bridge and Turnpike Authority disputed that bicycles were ever allowed on the Mount Hope Bridge, and told

525-693: The Portsmouth Times that bicycles were only allowed during special events. Bicycling advocates disputed the RIBTA's claim, and noted to the Times that other state agencies had listed the bridge as a bicycle route. In 2023, signage was placed at the base of the bridge stating that pedestrians, bicycles and mopeds are not permitted. The bridge is in close proximity to the East Bay Bikeway which runs from Providence to Bristol, RI. The bridge itself

560-660: The Wall Street Crash of 1929 occurred. It was owned by the Mount Hope Bridge Company as a private toll bridge , with the initial toll costing 60 cents one way, and $ 1 for a round-trip. By 1931, the Bridge company went bankrupt, and prominent local brewer Rudolf F. Haffenreffer acquired the bridge in receivership. It remained the longest suspension bridge in New England for 40 years, until

595-632: The Atlantic Ocean; Block Island lies less than 20 miles (32 km) southwest of its opening. "Narragansett" is derived from the southern New England Algonquian word Naiaganset meaning "(people) of the small point of land". The watershed of Narragansett Bay has seven river sub-drainage basins , including the Taunton , Pawtuxet , and Blackstone Rivers , and they provide freshwater input at approximately 2.1 million U.S. gallons (7.9 × 10 ^  L) per day. River water inflow has

630-414: The Mount Hope Bridge, and a replacement automated beacon across Ferry Road. Prior to the construction of the bridge, a ferry operated between Bristol and Aquidneck Island , and the light assisted the ferry service. The Bristol Ferry Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988, at which time it was a private residence. This article relating to a United States lighthouse

665-567: The North to South nutrient concentration gradient in the bay (24). Near the Providence River, biomass levels are highest in the summer and lowest in the winter. In the east and west passages there are peaks in the spring and fall. Annual blooms have shrunk over the last decade (2006 onward) as the amount of nitrogen (an important nutrient) supply to the bay has decreased by more than 50% due to wastewater treatment facilities switching to

700-440: The bay in his ship La Dauphine in 1524 after visiting New York Bay . Verrazzano called the bay Refugio , the "Refuge". It has several entrances, however, and historians can only speculate as to the exact route of his voyage and the location where he laid anchor, along with a corresponding uncertainty over which tribe made contact with him. Verrazzano reported that he found clearings and open forests suitable for travel "even by

735-525: The bay includes the seaside tourist towns of Narragansett and Wickford . Quonset Point , south of Warwick, gives its name to the Quonset hut . Tides in the watershed are measured at Providence, Fall River, Quonset Point, Conimicut Light , Prudence Island, and Newport. In shallow water, sound waves are used to measure water height by precisely measuring their travel time. In deeper water, tides are measured with pressure-sensing tide gauges that are placed on

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770-529: The bay indicate a range of mixed to stratified conditions and the amount of time it takes for the total volume of fresh water in the bay to be equaled by the fresh water input (flushing time) varies from 40 days to 10 days, depending on freshwater input. Dissolved oxygen levels in Narragansett Bay are seasonal with lower levels in the summer and higher levels in the winter. This is due to warmer temperatures and higher biological demand for oxygen in

805-532: The bay was probably in the early 16th century. At the time, the area surrounding the bay was inhabited by two different Indian tribes: the Narragansetts occupied the west side of the bay, and the Wampanoags lived on the east side, occupying the land east to Cape Cod . It is accepted by most historians that first contact by Europeans was made by Giovanni da Verrazzano , an Italian explorer who entered

840-431: The bay. In the winter, winds come from the northwest, helping move water towards the bay's mouth; in the summer, they are out of the southwest and move water towards the head of the bay. Wind-driven waves of over 4.25 feet (1.30 m) also help mix surface waters. Density-driven forces are the third factor affecting circulation. Fresh water inflow comes from natural sources such as atmospheric precipitation and inflow from

875-575: The bridge were cancelled in April 2022. Bristol officials announced that the town would instead focus on creating a town-wide bike network, with the possibility of turning Thames Street into a shared street . The railing along the bridge is only 35 inches (89 cm) and since 2016 there is a dedicated coalition (Bridging the Gap for Safety & Healing) advocating for the installation of physical safety/suicide prevention barriers on Mount Hope Bridge (along with

910-831: The capture and burning of the British customs schooner Gaspee . The American victory contributed to the eventual start of the war at the Battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts three years later. The event is celebrated in Pawtuxet Village as the Gaspee Days Celebration in June which includes burning the ship in effigy. Roger Williams and other early colonists named the islands Prudence , Patience , Hope , Despair , and Hog . To remember

945-419: The circulation is mostly well-mixed; however, the Providence River does show some vertical stratification. Narragansett Bay circulation is made up of forces provided by the winds, tides, and changes in water density within the watershed. Its circulation is the result of the flow of fresh water at the head interacting with salt water at the point where the bay meets the open ocean. Residence time of water due to

980-432: The circulation of Narragansett Bay is 10–40 days, with an average of 26 days. Tidal mixing is the dominant driver of circulation patterns in the bay, where currents can reach up to 2.5 feet per second. Non-tidal currents such as the flow of low salinity water at the surface out of the bay and high salinity deep water into the bay contribute to a current of about 0.33 feet per second. Winds also drive circulation patterns in

1015-400: The many rivers that feed into the watershed, and human-made sources such as water treatment plants. Fresh and saltwater mixing results in a salinity range in the bay of 24 parts per thousand (ppt) in the upper Providence River area to 32 ppt at the mouth of the bay. The bay's currents and circulation patterns greatly influence the sediment deposits within the region. The majority of

1050-651: The names, colonial school children often recited the poem: "Patience, Prudence, Hope, and Despair. And the little Hog over there." Narragansett Bay is divided by Conanicut Island into east and west passages. Its depth averages approximately 9.0 meters throughout the bay, but it is shallower in the west passage and deeper in the east. Narragansett Bay receives freshwater input from several sources, including rivers (approximately 80%), direct precipitation (13%), wastewater treatment facilities (9%), and unknown amounts from ground-water and combined sewer overflows (CSOs). The freshwater input varies greatly from season to season as it

1085-421: The ocean floor to measure water height. The bay's tides are semi-diurnal, meaning that the region experiences two high and low tides daily. The tides range in height from 3.6 feet (1.1 m) at the bay's mouth and 4.6 feet (1.4 m) at its head. Water depth varies about 4 feet (1.2 m) between high and low tide. The lunar, semi-diurnal M2 tide occurs at a period of 12.42 hours, with two tides occurring in

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1120-772: The same time, the Dutch established a trading post approximately 12 miles (20 km) to the southwest which was under the authority of New Amsterdam in New York Bay. In 1643, Williams traveled to England and was granted a charter for the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations . The Gaspee Affair was an important naval event which moved the Thirteen Colonies toward the American Revolution . It occurred in Narragansett Bay in 1772 and involved

1155-467: The sediments within the bay are fine-grained material such as detritus, clay-silt, and sand-silt-clay. Scientists have been able to identify 11 types of sediment that range from coarse gravels to fine silts. the bay's currents deposit fine materials through the harbors of the lower and middle sections of the bay, and the coarse, heavy materials are deposited in the lower areas of the bay where the water velocities are higher. The first visit by Europeans to

1190-572: The summer and the opposite in the winter. Narragansett Bay is also subject to periodic summer hypoxic events in the Northern half of the bay, nearing anoxic conditions in some parts. Phytoplankton forms the base of the food chain for many of the bay's marine animals. General trends in phytoplankton biomass across the bay are characterized by highest levels in the Providence River and lowest levels in Rhode Island Sound , correlating with

1225-488: The watershed every 24 hours and 50 minutes. The watershed's neap and spring tides occur every 14.8 days. In Narragansett bay, the tides show a distinct double-peak flood during high tide and single peak ebb during low tide. The movement of water within a system is its circulation . Estuaries are given a classification depending on the pattern of their circulations. The circulation classification can be well-mixed, partially mixed, salt wedge, or Fjord-type. For Narragansett,

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