Commissioner Bob Cole visited the bridge under construction in East Milton to check on its progress. According to Evan Lawrence, project manager for Superior Construction, the project, which began in 2013, should be open for drivers in September and completed later in the winter. While the bridge needed to be replaced, Cole said he wanted to see some of the historic nature of the original preserved in its replacement and so with input from the Santa Rosa Historical Society, Cole said they prevailed with the state to maintain the original look.
According to Cole, the state absorbed the extra cost of the railings. The work consists of the construction crew salvaging some of the railings and pouring concrete over molds to simulate the railings they could not save.
Lawrence said this part of the project was the biggest challenge, but he said due to the diligence of his team, they were able to preserve many of the railings and “implemented replica rail to match the original 1932 art deco design of the bridge for pedestrian railing.” Otherwise, Lawrence said the crew would have done a complete demolition. He said, in his experience, it wasn't often a request like this was made.
While Cole and others worked to recapture the classic look of the bridge, he said he worked with then Mayor Guy Thompson to install conduit along the bridge so the city could potentially light the length of the bridge. He said there was nothing in writing with the city, only the installation of the conduit with future possible usage in mind.
Lawrence said he had a lot of help from the local area. “Even though we're contractors from out of town, we are putting roots in this community. Up to 90 percent of our workforce in this district is local. We don't bring in out-of-town help. We came in and hired skilled labor from in town, in the communities we're working. It's a huge benefit to us and the community to have that connection with the area.”
Cole said while the new bridge will reflect local history, the wider bridge's safety functions will be up-to-date with sidewalks. It will also remain a two-lane bridge. Cole said he heard if the FDOT decided to four-lane Highway 90 through downtown Milton, the bridge would have to be rebuilt again to accommodate the extra lanes.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: East Milton bridge to be drivable September