Date:  Monday, April 06, 2009

Contact:
MaryLou Nebergall, WSDOT Project Engineer, 360-570-6750 
Karri Workman, WSDOT Communications, 360-704-3270

OLYMPIA – Two local bridges get fresh paint this spring, one in Thurston County and another in Grays Harbor County.

WSDOT awarded the $794,963 painting contract Friday, April 3, to Purcell Painting and Coatings of Tukwila. The project creates an estimated eight jobs; work begins later this spring and continues into the summer months.

Repainting is an important aspect of WSDOT’s bridge preservation program. Repainting preserves the structural integrity and prolongs the useful of the bridges by providing protection from weather and corrosion.

Crews will apply a new layer of warm brown paint to the steel underside of the I-5 Capitol Boulevard Bridge in Olympia. The contract includes cleaning the steel portions of the bridge, prep work and overcoating with new paint. The giant arches visible from I-5 were constructed and painted in 1988 and are not included in this painting contract. The bridge was last painted in 1984.

New evergreen paint will rejuvenate the US 12 Black River Bridge just outside of Oakville. Crews will strip the bridge down to the steel, prime and repaint it. Because the bridge is narrow, traffic will be reduced to one lane with piloted alternating traffic control when work crews are present. The bridge was built in 1932 and carries about 5,000 cars a day. It was last painted in 1990.

For both projects, the first work drivers may notice is construction of non-permeable containment systems. Containment systems prevent dry paint chips, tools, wet paint or other debris from escaping the work area. For the I-5 project, the containment system provides an important safety net for motorists traveling under the bridge. On the US 12 project, the containment system prevents contaminants from polluting the Black River.

Engineers expect the new paint to last 15 to 20 years.

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