One part of the $4.8 million Bayview Bridge project is configuring the span to be remotely operated, but the head of Door County's Highway Department says remote operation of the bridge likely won't start until at least 2014.
Door County Highway Commissioner John Kolodziej says he's planning on having bridgetenders continue to staff the bridge at least through the end of this year.
"We will continue to staff the Bayview Bridge even after the work is done for the entire year as we normally do," says Kolodziej.
Right now the county has eight full-time bridgetenders and three part-timers. Kolodziej says when the Bayview does go automated, it will likely mean a staff reduction of three to four full-time workers depending on the level of the service the DOT wants to have on the bridge.
"That decision hasn't been made yet but we're looking at all the options to make it the most efficient and safe way to run."
The move would mean all three of the city's bridges would be operated from the Maple-Oregon Bridge. The Michigan Street Bridge has been run that way since it reopened following the recent rehabilitation project and Kolodziej says it's been going "okay."
"The big thing is making sure the cameras are working correctly and the computer monitors are working correctly and we haven't had any major issues along those lines yet."
Kolodziej will give members of the Door County Highway Committee an update at their meeting Monday.
Work on the Bayview Bridge will continue for the next several months with the bridge scheduled to reopen to vehicles and pedestrians by July 4.
