Pawtucket River Bridge Architectural Lighting System

The Pawtucket River Bridge’s architectural lighting is a symbolic feature of Rhode Island’s I-95 corridor that’s seen by thousands of drivers each day. Over time, however, maintaining the lighting system became increasingly difficult and disruptive, causing operations to be inconsistent.

Bowman was engaged by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) to modernize the bridge’s architectural lighting system with a focus on improving visibility and maintainability. The project addressed not just the lighting fixtures themselves, but how the system could be safely accessed and maintained without impacting traffic on one of the state’s busiest highways.

Challenge: Dangerous Maintenance Access

RIDOT faced ongoing challenges maintaining the existing architectural lighting system on the Pawtucket River Bridge. Accessing the lighting controls required lane closures on I-95 and elevated work near live traffic and water.

Additionally, the lighting control equipment was located in an area that was difficult to reach, further complicating routine maintenance activities. RIDOT needed a solution that improved reliability while allowing future work to be completed safely and without repeated traffic impacts. On top of this, all improvements had to be designed and constructed within a condensed schedule and under strict traffic control limitations, with minimal tolerance for interstate closures.

Solution: Relocating Lighting Controls & Modernizing the System

Bowman designed comprehensive upgrades to the bridge’s architectural lighting system, including replacing existing features with LED lighting to improve driver visibility and energy efficiency.

To address long-standing maintenance challenges, our team relocated the lighting control system from the bridge structure to ground-mounted enclosures. This change allows future maintenance to be performed without lane closures or elevated access, significantly reducing risk to maintenance crews and eliminating the need for recurring traffic disruptions.

Impact: Safer Maintenance Access & A Reliable Lighting System

The lighting system upgrades improved reliability while fundamentally changing how maintenance is performed on the bridge. By eliminating the need for lane closures during routine servicing, the project reduced worker exposure to live traffic and minimized impacts to daily travel.

Public perception improved as well. Once criticized for inconsistent operation, the Pawtucket River Bridge lighting has been fully restored and is again a recognizable feature along I-95.

Bowman’s work on the project was recognized with a First Place Gold Anchor Award at the 2025 ACEC-RI Engineering Excellence Awards in the Outstanding Professional Design Excellence Projects Less than $10 Million category.