City considers changing color of bridge

Hallandale Beach bridge painted coral in June

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. ā€“ The city of Hallandale Beach is considering repainting the bridge above the Intracoastal Waterway 10 months after it was painted, which could cost the city $180,000.

It cost $33,000 to paint the bridge coral in June.

"We never really approved this color," said Mayor Joy Cooper.

Cooper said commissioners never weighed in when city staffers picked the color.

"I never really cared for this color for a bridge," she said. "I think, like many people said, it looks like Pepto-Bismol pink."

She wants to repaint the coral parts of the bridge.

"It looks to me like red coral," said Vice Mayor Bill Julian.

Julian doesn't want to spend tax dollars to redo a project that was completed less than a year ago. He added that he thinks the brightly colored walls help prevent accidents.

"Seniors that I talked to with macular degeneration or vision problems actually see the walls better," said Julian.

"Some people complain that the color is too bright but that's the least of it. They left one section completely empty," said Joe Minnelli.

Cooper called the bridge a gateway to the city and said it should be painted like a work of art.

"All our entrance ways make a statement that you hear in Hallandale Beach," she said.

"This makes a statement?" asked Local 10's Roger Lohse.

"Yes, but not the one I think is cohesively visually appealing," replied Cooper.

Cooper said the money to repaint the bridge will come from the city's transportation fund, which is funded mostly from state gas taxes.

Whether the bridge will be repainted goes before the city commission in May.