County icon closed for paint job

Jef Rietsma
·2 min read

CENTREVILLE – A final step related to the $3.2 million overhaul of the Langley Covered Bridge will keep the county icon closed at least into next week.

When the four-month job was finished and the bridge re-opened in mid-January, St. Joseph County Road Commission officials said a paint job would be done in warmer weather later in the year.

That portion of the job started April 16 and is continuing for at least a two-week period.

The Langley Covered Bridge is undergoing a paint job and will remain closed for at least two weeks, St. Joseph County Road Commission officials said.
The Langley Covered Bridge is undergoing a paint job and will remain closed for at least two weeks, St. Joseph County Road Commission officials said.

Garrett Myland, assistant manager and engineer for the Centreville-based agency, said the extent of work is more complicated than simply running a paint roller up and down the sides of the bridge.

“There’s actually two different painting jobs being done … the steel beams are currently being painted underneath,” he said, adding the beams require a three-coat process. “Each level of the paint system needs 24 hours to cure, so each beam takes a minimum of three days and it has to be weather complaint.”

Myland said portable, industrial heaters are within enclosures surrounding the beams to ensure a consistent temperature for the benefit of the paint to dry.

“Right after they sandblast the beams, they have to jump right on the primer because if you leave the steel un-primed for too long, it’ll actually start to get surface rust on it,” Myland said. “That really limits how much work they can do at any given time.”

The steel painting portion of the task is expected to be done by this weekend, Myland said.

A re-opening date depends significantly on when an order of primer and red paint for the exterior is delivered. If so, there’s a chance the bridge could open by the end of next week. If not, the work could drag into the first full week of May.

Myland said the painting portion of the bridge is about $370,000. The steel painting is being done by a subcontractor that specializes in the work, he said.

Meanwhile, Grand Haven-based Anlaan Corporation, which performed the four-month rehab, will paint all other parts of the bridge, including the timber siding.

Myland said it also needs to add roofing material to an overhang on the west side of the bridge.

This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Langley Covered Bridge closed for paint job