Bad Prep

[George K]

There's a bridge that spans the river which goes through my town. It's an iconic place, and has appeared in several movies.

On my walks, I cross it frequently, and lately it's fallen into a state of disrepair. It's not dangerous, but the paint is peeling, and the structure is showing signs of rust beneath.

Apparently, it was "restored" in 2011, at a cost of $25,000. The restoration was expected to last 25 to 30 years.

An inspection report submitted in July 2020 revealed that layers of older coatings still existed beneath the 2011 layer.

The report concluded that “the bridge likely did not have proper surface preparation for the [2011] coating project.”

Wanting to avoid a repeat, architects recommended fully preparing all surfaces before recoating the bridge.

A company called Lakes and Rivers Contracting submitted a proposal in July that met the full scope of work recommended by the Architects.

However, the price tag came in at $725,000, an amount that also took into account the need to abate lead paint that Lakes and Rivers Contracting reported observing on the bridge during a site visit.

Just wondering, does our village have any recourse, legal recourse, against the contractor who did sub-standard work 10 years ago?

[Jolly]

I dunno, but I'd check the state law, since that stuff varies. Wouldn't surprise me if the old contractor had already gone out of business.

[Mik]

It depends on what was asked for and what was in the statement of work. I rather doubt you could recover anything because I doubt stripping the bridge was part of the work.