The newly painted Meeker Street bridge over the Green River in Kent is expected to reopen by Friday, Oct. 11, giving drivers use once again of a popular commuting route in and out of the city core.

Longview-based Mericka Group LLC, the contractor for the $2.71 million project, missed the initial deadline of Sept. 29 that city staff publicized, expecting the job to be done in eight weeks. The city closed Meeker Street at the bridge on Aug. 5.

“We have assurances from the contractor that the bridge will be open at the end of (the) week, (Oct. 11),” said Chad Bieren, city Public Works director, in an Oct. 4 email to the Kent Reporter. “The painting is wrapping up and the containment will be coming down throughout (this) week.”

The bridge is a major entry and exit point to the city’s core via Meeker Street with access to and from State Route 516, aka Kent Des Moines Road, and Reith Road. The bridge is next to the large Ethos Apartments complex and the city-owned Riverbend Golf Complex.

Bieren said getting the bridge ready for painting delayed the project.

“The painting preparation took the contractor longer than expected,” Bieren said. “The silver lining is that the steel bridge members and connections are in good shape.”

There will be no additional cost to the city because of the delay.

“The contractor caused the delay, and is therefore responsible for additional costs,” Bieren said.

There was no contingency fund in the contract for a potential delay, Bieren said.

With the painting taking longer than planned, the contractor won’t complete repairs to the bridge surface until next year.

“While the painting is all but done, the deck replacement remains,” Bieren said. “The original bid included bridge painting and deck replacement, all to be completed in eight weeks. Obviously, the contractor did not accomplish its work on time.

“The bridge deck needs to be ground down and replaced with a new polymer concrete surface layer – similar to filling a tooth; and the expansion joints also need to be replaced at that time. We are coordinating with the contractor to have this work completed in 2025, when we have the right weather. A new schedule and separate notifications will be sent out after we have finalized the plan.”

The Kent City Council awarded the project May 21 to Longview-based Mericka Group LLC, which submitted the low bid of $2.71 million for repainting and deck repairs, minor structural repairs to the bridge, erosion and sediment control, work access, containment and traffic control. The need for paint was obvious with rust spots clearly showing corrosion. The bridge, built in 1958, was last painted in the 1990s, according to city documents.

Federal grants received by the city will cover most of the costs, according to city documents. One grant will cover repainting the steel superstructure and the other one for rehabilitating the bridge deck.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience while the bridge was closed, and we apologize for our contractor’s extended closure – it’s not what we’d planned for, but we are excited that the newly painted bridge will be open soon,” Bieren said.