Light poles were replaced on the bridge last year

State requests bids for repainting bridge

Contributed

The Alabama Department of Transportation will open bids Friday, June 24, on a project for painting and maintenance improvements of the Benjamin Fitzpatrick Bridge.

If an acceptable bid is received, ALDOT expects work to begin within six weeks after the bid opening. A cost estimate has not been finalized, but preliminary estimates put the project cost between $4.6 to $5.6 million.

The bidding process will allow ALDOT to hire a contractor to paint the bridge for the first time since 1999.

In addition to painting, the bridge will undergo maintenance designed to extend the life of the bridge, including applying a layer of sealant to the concrete bridge deck.

Other work will include new fence, removing and repairing areas of concrete, and performing minor repairs to steel, expansion joints and bearings.

The Benjamin Fitzpatrick Bridge opened to traffic on Dec. 10, 1940. At 1,738 feet long, it is the 87th longest bridge in Alabama. It is the state’s highest bridge above water at a height of 143 feet above the Tallapoosa River.

The project will be funded by state and federal fuel taxes.