It has only been a little over a month since the Brent Spence Bridge reopened to traffic over the Ohio River. Now we are being told to expect more traffic restrictions because the span that carries 150 thousand vehicles a day is going to get a year long paint job.
North Star Painting out of Youngstown tells Newsradio 700 WLW that they have been told they are the low bidder on the project that will cost 35 point 8 million dollars. The company based in Youngstown says this will be the third time that they have painted the 1700 hundred foot span connecting Cincinnati to Covington. The work will take a crew of 60-80 people, working double shifts about a year to complete.
There is no word yet on the start date for the work. During painting at least two lanes of traffic will be maintained at all times.
The work will be done in three phases. First, they will wrap the bridge to contain the paint chips that will be blasted off in phase two. Then the final phase will be the actual painting itself.
The cost of painting the bridge is more than three times what it cost to build the entire structure which opening in November of 1967.