Re: Bridge work
Author: fkrock
Date: 08-20-2014 - 08:30
Part of the reason many old bridges are left unpainted is that they were painted with lead pigment paint or primer. Surface prep for repainting would require putting the structure in a tent and removing the old paint with a hazmat crew. We're talking serious money here.
There are no rules against letting the old paint weather away. Rust actually is a pretty fair metal preservative. Eventually when all the lead based material is gone, repainting would be fairly simple.