Van Leesten Memorial Bridge

The Michael S. Van Leesten Memorial Bridge is a footbridge crossing the Providence River located in the city of Providence, Rhode Island.  The idea of building a pedestrian bridge on the old Interstate 195 piers was suggested in 1999 by a Rhode Island School of Design architecture student. Since money would have had to be spent on demolishing the concrete piers, from the old I-95 bridge the rationale was to instead build a simple footbridge with those funds.  In 2008, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation allocated two million towards its construction. It got a long way from simple after that and the final cost was over  twenty-one million dollars. The length is 450 feet.  It contains wooden benches, illuminated tables, built-in chessboards, and stainless-steel railings. The upper deck is made of Brazilian Ipe hardwood, while bluestone steps lead to terraced lower levels containing LED lighting and grass planting.  It is a beautiful structure with wonderful views of the city as you walk over the Providence River and back. It is such a beautiful thing and is a destination for visitors to Providence. Please be SURE to click on the images - the first one is a higher resolution image which will open almost full screen.