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St. Augustine Record
Bridge of Lions Update The Florida Department of Transportation is continuing rehabilitation work on the Bridge of Lions. Started in February of 2005, this project entails removing the original bridge, installing a temporary one, and then reinstalling the rehabilitated bridge. Two 140-foot sections of arched steel girders from the original bridge were transported to Florida Structural Steel in Lakeland, Florida in September of 2006. Once all the girders have been delivered to Lakeland, work can begin on sandblasting the layers of dirt and grime that have attached to the steel over the years. The girders will then be polished, and the entire steel section will be sprayed with a molten zinc compound, a process called "metalization", which will protect it from future corrosion. The girders will then be painted and shipped back to the project site. For approximately six months this year, workers will be involved with drilled shafts that create the foundation of the bridge. Cylindrical metal casings are put down, sediment is drilled out, and concrete is poured for the columns that support the piers. A complex job considering it is all done under water. According to Laurie Sanderson, Public Information Officer, this project is going well and is on schedule to be completed by 2010. The rehabilitated Bridge of Lions will be ready for traffic at the end of 2009, and the temporary bridge should be removed by 2010. To keep abreast of the Bridge of Lions rehabilitation project, the Web site is www.fdotbridgeoflions.com.
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