A suspension bridge that could have become an intrusion on the peaceful dignified Rhode Island coast has managed to become an integrated part of the seascape. Most people know it as the Newport Bridge simply because it links the city of Newport with the mainland at Jamestown. Before the superhighway came through, there was merely a ferry linking the two settlements. That ferry link had been inadequate for decades before the bridge was built. The first significant effort to construct a permanent span rose in the 1940’s. No fewer than 32 plans were drawn up for linking the cities either by bridge, tunnel, or both. Some failed for political or economic reasons. Others were killed by voters, or rejected by the Navy has very specific requirements of the bridges its ships pass under. Constructing a bridge at this point of the coastline proved to be a challenge. The pilings had to be driven extraordinarily deep in order to reach bedrock. While constructing the main towers, divers actually lived in a capsule underwater for a week at a time and came out of the capsule for six hours a day to work underwater.

• The Claiborne Pell Bridge is named after a former Rhode Island senator.
• At the time of its completion, it was the longest bridge in New England, depending on how one defines the boundaries of New England.
• The bridge is supported by a total of 56 piers.