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| 5 | 5 | | 2025 -- S 0710 |
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| 6 | 6 | | ======== |
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| 7 | 7 | | LC002220 |
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| 8 | 8 | | ======== |
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| 9 | 9 | | S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D |
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| 10 | 10 | | IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 11 | 11 | | JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025 |
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| 12 | 12 | | ____________ |
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| 13 | 13 | | |
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| 14 | 14 | | A N A C T |
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| 15 | 15 | | RELATING TO HIGHWAYS -- RHODE ISLAND TURNPIKE AND BRIDGE AUTHORITY |
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| 16 | 16 | | Introduced By: Senators DiPalma, Felag, Ciccone, Britto, Murray, DiMario, Sosnowski, |
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| 17 | 17 | | Ujifusa, and Euer |
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| 18 | 18 | | Date Introduced: March 07, 2025 |
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| 19 | 19 | | Referred To: Senate Housing & Municipal Government |
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| 20 | 20 | | |
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| 21 | 21 | | |
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| 22 | 22 | | It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
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| 23 | 23 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 24-12 of the General Laws entitled "Rhode Island Turnpike and 1 |
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| 24 | 24 | | Bridge Authority" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 2 |
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| 25 | 25 | | 24-12-60. Safety barrier on bridges. 3 |
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| 26 | 26 | | (a) The Rhode Island turnpike and bridge authority (RITBA) is hereby directed to design 4 |
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| 27 | 27 | | a safety barrier and/or safety netting on the Mount Hope Bridge, the Claiborne Pell Bridge, and the 5 |
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| 28 | 28 | | Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge (the “bridges”). The process shall be implemented as follows: 6 |
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| 29 | 29 | | (1) RITBA shall submit the design of the safety barrier and/or safety netting for the bridges 7 |
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| 30 | 30 | | to the house finance committee and the senate finance committee on or before January 1, 2026. 8 |
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| 31 | 31 | | (2) RITBA shall issue a request for proposals for the safety barrier and/or safety netting on 9 |
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| 32 | 32 | | or before April 30, 2026. 10 |
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| 33 | 33 | | (3) Proposals shall be reviewed and accepted by RITBA, and construction and installation 11 |
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| 34 | 34 | | of the safety barrier and/or safety netting shall commence on the bridges, no later than August 1, 12 |
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| 35 | 35 | | 2026. 13 |
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| 36 | 36 | | (b) Any newly constructed bridges within the state with a deck height of over one hundred 14 |
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| 37 | 37 | | feet (100′) shall be required to have safety barriers or safety netting. 15 |
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| 38 | 38 | | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 16 |
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| 39 | 39 | | ======== |
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| 40 | 40 | | LC002220 |
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| 41 | 41 | | ======== |
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| 42 | 42 | | |
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| 43 | 43 | | |
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| 44 | 44 | | LC002220 - Page 2 of 2 |
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| 45 | 45 | | EXPLANATION |
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| 46 | 46 | | BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |
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| 47 | 47 | | OF |
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| 48 | 48 | | A N A C T |
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| 49 | 49 | | RELATING TO HIGHWAYS -- RHODE ISLAND TURNPIKE AND BRIDGE AUTHORITY |
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| 50 | 50 | | *** |
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| 51 | 51 | | This act would direct the Rhode Island turnpike and bridge authority (RITBA) to design a 1 |
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| 52 | 52 | | safety barrier or netting system on the Mount Hope Bridge, the Claiborne Pell Bridge, and the 2 |
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| 53 | 53 | | Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge. The act would include several deadlines to ensure construction 3 |
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| 54 | 54 | | commences no later than August 1, 2026. Any newly constructed bridges with a deck height of 4 |
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| 55 | 55 | | over one hundred feet (100′) would be required to have safety barriers or safety netting. 5 |
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| 56 | 56 | | This act would take effect upon passage. 6 |
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| 57 | 57 | | ======== |
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| 58 | 58 | | LC002220 |
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| 60 | 60 | | |
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