Albritton says state committed to bridge

State Sen. Greg Albritton told members of the Escambia County (Ala.) Commission meetings are continuing to solve the problem with the $15 million bridge over the Conecuh River in Riverview noting lawsuits have been filed.

Albritton said he and the other two members of the Escambia County legislative delegation, State Rep. Alan Baker and State Rep. Mike Jones "continue to work on this fiasco".

He told commissioners a meeting was held last week with lawyers and the state's top engineer. He said the state was given a notice of default by the contractor on the project, Tanner, Inc., and that the bond holding company has now sued the state.

Albritton said it's a safety issue and that every horizontal piece of concrete will have to be replaced.

"It's not a single problem," Albritton said. "There will be other testing to see if other parts of the bridge need replacing."

He said the problem stems from the rebar on the bridge decking being too close to the surface, which was discovered by construction workers.

"Whose fault is it?" Albritton said. "Everybody's. But the general contractor is where it lies. We've instructed the state to continue with legal avenues. I want that bridge finished as soon as possible."