The bridge was opened in 1969 to replace an old bridge to the south, known as the Red Bridge, which connected the ends of Waterman Street on either side of the Seekonk River. The bridge was named after its designer, George Henderson, of Rumford, Rhode Island.
Previous bridges in the area
This is the sixth bridge to have been built in this part of the Seekonk River. The first was a wooden bridge built by Moses Brown in 1793 called the Central Bridge, which connected the respective ends of Waterman Avenue. The same year, Brown's brother John built the first Washington Bridge at a ferry landing point one mile south, connecting India Point and Watchemoket Square. The second and third bridges were built as replacements and were destroyed in 1807 and 1815, respectively. A swing bridge was built in 1872, which was replaced by a sturdier bridge of the same type in 1895.
Henderson Expressway
The Henderson Bridge was part of an envisioned expressway that was planned as a US 44 freeway that would have extended from a Gano Street interchange with Interstate 195. The current Gano Street ramps were built specifically for the proposed US 44 freeway, which was planned to follow along the west shore of the Seekonk River, over the Henderson Bridge, and then head northeasterly through East Providence, to US 44 just east of Route 114 and US 1A. Since the freeway was never completed, the section that exists today was not given a route number, though is commonly referred to as the Henderson Expressway. The planned freeway's right-of-way and landholdings still exist in East Providence, where they are completely cleared to the freeway's proposed end at US 44.
Under the Bridge
Woods and trails under and around the East Providence side of the bridge are often used by dirt-bikers for recreational use. River Road exists beneath the Providence side of the bridge, and provides access to Blackstone Park and Trails ;.
Repair work
On April 17, 2008, it was reported that the bridge requires $50 million worth of repairs, but the state only had $3.3 million to allocate. Some problems noted are cracks in the concrete pier caps & rusting steel beams. RIDOTchief engineer Kazem Farhoumand has stated that steel reinforcements can be bolted onto the steel beams to make them "good for another 5 or 10 years." The Henderson was one of 25 bridges to receive "minor repairs" in late 2015, after a "hurry-up" program of bridge inspections in August 2015.
Replacement
Transit and bike advocates have asked for years that the bridge be replaced by a more multimodal structure. In February 2019 it was announced that the existing four lane bridge will be replaced with a new two lane bridge with pedestrian and bike lanes. The cost is an estimated $60–70 million, with $54.5 million coming from a federal spending bill and the rest from the state. It is expected that the bridge will retain its signature red color.
