Verrazano Bridge Getting A New Paint Job

If you’ve noticed a heap o’ work being done around the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, it’s because the one-time title-holder of longest suspension bridge in the world is getting a few new coats of paint.

According to Courier Life, the $19-million paint job will take two years. To start, they’re covering the stanchions before sandblasting rust and lead paint off of the structure. The covering will prevent the lead from hitting the water. Then they’ll fix any damage to the steel structure before covering it with three new coats of paint.

The contractor is bringing barges to station around the bridge’s towers, not far from where the U.S. Coast Guard has created a 110-yard safety zone after local diver Gene Ritter found a stash of more than 1,500 sunken munitions.

Are you a local boater? Will the work on the Verrazano, combined with the Coast Guard’s “safety zone” be an obstacle in your trips through the narrows?