The Mount Hope Bridge connects Portsmouth on Aquidneck Island - which originally was called Rhode Island - with Bristol on the original "Providence Plantations." It is located at one of the narrowest gaps in Narragansett Bay, and was the site of an active ferry service since the early 18th century. Before the ferry operated, Captain Benjamin Church (considered the first American Army Ranger) and his troops crossed the bay at the point to defeat an uprising by the Wampanoag Indians. 
Construction of the Mount Hope Bridge began on December 1, 1927. The project began with building the tower foundations, which were dug 54 feet below the bottom of Narragansett Bay. Work also progressed on building the 18,000-ton Bristol anchorage and the 27,000 ton Portsmouth anchorages, which were to anchor the main cables of the span.
According to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT), the Mount Hope Bridge carries approximately 15,000 vehicles per day (AADT). The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
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