We’d all need a touch-up after 145 years.
That is what’s in store for the historic Concord Road covered bridge after Cobb County commissioners unanimously approved a restoration contract for more than $800,000, said a county spokeswoman.
The agenda from the May 23 meeting says the project will be funded by the 2016 SPLOST, or Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.
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Commissioners awarded the $802,959 contract to Brookhaven-based Suncoast Restoration and Waterproofing, which will have to close the bridge during the renovation this summer.
The bridge and other associated structures were published in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The register inspects sites before accepting them. The covered bridge’s report said concrete supports were added in 1965 to accommodate modern vehicles. It was built in 1872.
Between 7,000 and 10,000 cars travel on the bridge each day, according to county estimates.
The bridge has started to lean due to a recent series of issues, the county said.
Workers previously installed beams that look like a giant staple at the entrance of the bridge to warn drivers of the seven-foot height limit, but the county reports that the bridge still gets hit about 12 times a year.
Crews this summer will repair one of the bridge supports, install new frames inside the bridge, clean and paint existing steel and replace the guardrail along with the roof and exterior siding.
Read more about the bridge's architectural details, including its "wooden Queen post trusses" in its Historic Register report, here.
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