MIAMI COUNTY, Ind. – The Miami County Board of Commissioners on Monday voted unanimously to repaint the light green steel superstructure crossing the Wabash River on Business 31 a medium shade of blue. The sandblasting and repainting of the Kelly Avenue Bridge will be part of a $1.5 million improvement project, slated to begin sometime in the spring of 2018. Built in 1939, the last construction was completed in 1988, when a new deck was installed and the steel was repainted. Repainting is necessary to protect the iron structure from further corrosion and once underway it is predicted that the repainting will take about 90 days to complete. The project includes, among other things, replacing expansion joints, repairing substructure and resetting guardrail, as well as repairing, cleaning and painting the structural steel. The work will also improve traction and seal out salts with a polymeric concrete bridge overlay. Since the Kelly Avenue Bridge is a unique structure, it is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.