Footbridge lowered into place along Johnston Memorial Park walking path

On Wednesday morning, a crew from Johnston based JR Vinagro Corp. lowered a new footbridge into place at Johnston War Memorial Park.

According to Johnston Mayor Joseph M. Polisena, the path and a westbound lane of Route 6 were closed to accommodate installation of the new footbridge.

Polisena said he expects the work will take about two days to complete, pending weather.

Work may be done at the site as early as Friday.

Polisena said the company has saved Johnston taxpayers around $100,000.

JR Vinagro Corp., a Johnston construction company, volunteered to help rebuild the small, but key footbridge, along the Fitness Walk path around the pond at Memorial Park, near Hartford Avenue (Route 6).

The bridge is about 26-feet long and just 6-feet wide, but bids on the project came in much higher than expected.

Polisena said family owned and operated JR Vinagro Corp. stepped up to help the town out, offering workers and materials, covering the entire project, and constructing the bridge out of recycled materials.

Metal support beams will be painted with a special paint to protect them from the elements in the future.

JR Vinagro is one of the largest independently owned and operated demolition, recycling and crushing companies in New England, according to its website.
Polisena asked the park’s many walkers to please be patient with the path closure. He said the new bridge will be worth the wait.