Bridge beams to be painted

RUSSELLVILLE — A Florida contractor has submitted the apparent low bid to repaint the steel support beams of several bridges maintained by the Franklin County Highway Department.

Franklin County Engineer Jason Baggett said Seminole Equipment Co. of Tarrpon Springs, Florida, bid $632,764, to paint steel beams under the concrete bridge decks to help protect them from rust.

Baggett said the contractor will sandblast, paint and add an enamel clear coat over the paint for added protection.

He said the project involves six county-maintained bridges. “It’s a lot of money for something nobody is going to see,” Baggett said.

Photos of the bridges show peeling paint on girders that support the concrete bridge decks and rust spots.

He said the painting is a maintenance project.

“We’ve been budgeting for it for a couple of years,” Baggett said. “We got to where we had the funds available to do it this year.”

He said the oldest bridge dates back to 1970.

“They were pretty much all built in the same timeframe,” Baggett said. “They’re some of the largest bridges in the county.”

One of the concrete bridge rails is stamped with the date 1979.

He said the “coating system” is original and it has not been replaced since the bridges were open.

Baggett said the contractor will install scaffolding under some of the bridges and containment barriers to protect the bodies of water.

He said the paint contains zinc that helps reduce rust. The clear coating provides additional protection.

Baggett said the longest bridge is 380 feet and crosses Bear Creek.

All six are mainline bridges that would cost millions of dollars to replace.

Baggett said bids were opened Feb. 19. The Franklin County Commission will address the bids during its March 4 regular meeting.

Six companies submitted bids, including:

• Seminole Equipment Co., $632,764

• S&D Industrial Painting Inc., $732,855 • Gulf Coast Contracting LLC, $871,752

• Southern Coatings of Tarpon Springs LLC, $991,000

• International Rigging Group, $1,047,713

• Southern Road & Bridge, $2,377,618 Baggett said if the commission approves the bid, work will likely begin around the first of April.

“It will be done during the summer months, before it gets cold and rainy again,” he said. “Temperature and weather is important when doing a coating system.”

While the work is primarily taking place under the bridges, Baggett said there may be temporary lane closures during the project.