by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Sometime next summer the Main Street Bridge will get some much-needed repairs and a new coat of paint.
After much debate and the signature of Gov. Jeb Bush, the State Legislature finally approved the 2002-03 Appropriations Act which provides funding for every county in the state. Next fiscal year, Duval County will receive in excess of $1 billion for everything from public schools ($631,549,930) to an inclusive child care project ($45,000).
The Legislature also earmarked $3,211,601 for repairs and renovations to the Main Street Bridge. Bud Rozier, a structural engineer with the Florida Department of Transportation, said the money will be used primarily to repair some of the structural steel on the bridge and give it a new coat of paint.
“That project is in our office,” said Rozier, who works out of FDOT’s Lake City office. “What will be the obvious thing is the structure will be repainted and we’ll stay with the same color, which is blue.”
Rozier said bids for the job will go out in April 2003 and work should begin a few months later.
“Some contractors jump right on it while others take their time,” said Rozier. “The contract time has not been established yet. And, we will repair some of the steel scattered throughout the structure. If we are going to paint it, we might was well go ahead and make the repairs that are needed.”
Rozier added that the job, from bid to finish, will take approximately 6-9 months to complete.
The FDOT won’t know the extent of the repairs until they get started on the job next summer. What they do know is that the bridge won’t have to close for the work to get done. Although the FDOT will do a majority of the repairs and painting at night, they are not restricted to evening hours.
“We are painting the Mathews Bridge right now, the underneath side, and we are doing it during the day,” he said. “They have ways of containing the paint, but that has not always been the case.”
The Main Street Bridge was built in 1941 and much of the structure is original materials. It was last painted in 1985 and Rozier said 20 years between paintings is about average for a bridge in Florida.
For those hoping the state would one day replace the bridge with a bigger, newer, better version, FDOT spokesman Mike Goldman has bad news.
“That is the only movable bridge [it is a draw bridge] around here that is probably not going to be replaced,” said Goldman. “In fact, I know it’s not going to be replaced. The structural engineers will tell you the bridge can last forever if properly maintained. It’s still a very functional bridge.”
Goldman said several factors, including the cost of the bridge, cost of nearby land and right-of-ways and the traffic load that would have to be detoured, have convinced FDOT officials that replacing the Main Street Bridge is not a feasible venture.