Rehoboth drawbridge painting nearing completion
A life-extending paint job for the drawbridge crossing the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal into Rehoboth Beach is nearing completion.
Structural steel coating is substantially complete, said Brittany Klecan, Delaware Department of Transportation spokesperson. The current expected completion date is Thursday, Jan. 15, she said.
Remaining work includes coating the joint armor plates and steel curbs, as well as the concrete coating, said Klecan in an email Jan. 5.
A DelDOT contractor has been working on the bridge since early November, beginning with the installation of a containment system around the bridge that was designed to catch all the old paint and any overspray from the new paint.
The bridge’s steel has been covered in a three-coat system – zinc primer, an epoxy coat and a polyurethane top coat. The concrete will be covered in a two-coat system – an epoxy layer with silicone-acrylic paint. The bridge is still green.
Located on the far west end of Rehoboth Avenue, the drawbridge was constructed in 1986. According to DelDOT, it’s 169 feet long, 66 feet wide and sees an average of 21,673 vehicle crossings daily. The bridge has had some spot painting performed throughout the years, but it hasn’t been fully painted since 1996. There was active corrosion on the bridge.
Prior to work beginning, the estimated cost of the project was about $820,000. Klecan said the project is on budget.
Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.
