Delay may add to cost of bridge repair

County commissioners voted to add up to $103,750 to the contract to repair Blackburn Pont Bridge in Osprey.

The original schedule for the repairs to the 83-year-old bridge called for the work to begin earlier this month, but residents on Casey Key and along Blackburn Point Road asked the county to delay the month-long job until the end of May.

The county rescheduled the commencement date to May 26. With hurricane season beginning June 1, the new schedule puts most of the work during hurricane season.

So, the county’s public works department asked commissioners to sign off on an amendment to the work contract to account for the added risk.

The amendment includes $5,000 for a contractor to prepare for a possible storm and an additional $49,375 to secure the bridge during each of up to two storms that might threaten the area.

The revised total cost of the project is now $4.9 million.

The historic swing bridge will have nearly all of its mechanisms repaired or replaced during the work.