The Robert N. Stewart Bridge is poised for a touch-up some time in the next couple of years.
The Columbus Board of Public Works and Safety on Tuesday approved an agreement between the city and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) that states the city will contribute $1.3 million to repaint the cable-stayed bridge over East Fork White River.
INDOT is slated to do a bridge deck overlay project on the structure in fiscal year 2027, City Engineer Andrew Beckort said, so the city decided “to tag along and have them paint the bridge when their project is done.”
Beckort said that it may not be until the 2030s until INDOT would be back to paint the bridge.
INDOT is contributing $3.6 million for the bridge deck overlay work, according to city documents. The $1.3 million city contribution will come out of State Road 46 Overpass Fund, which still has the requisite funds left over from the project that was completed in 2020.
Mayor Mary Ferdon said the paint job may be the first time the bridge has been repainted since it was finished in 1999.
