Lawsuit alleges Mich. bridge painted badly

ST. IGNACE, Mich., Jan. 1 (UPI) -- The Ohio company hired to paint the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan did a poor job in completing the task and should pay compensation, a lawsuit alleges.

The Mackinac Bridge and the Michigan Department of Transportation allege in their lawsuit that Allstate Painting and Contracting did not honor its 2002 contract for the bridge paint job, The Detroit News said Thursday.

The Ohio company had initially been hired to sandblast and recoat several of the bridge's posts and beams.

After beginning repairs to those efforts in 2006, Allstate allegedly stopped work without completing all the necessary repairs, the $1 million lawsuit alleges.

Allstate denies the plaintiffs' claims and demands for compensation to complete the repairs to the bridge that connects the state's Lower and Upper peninsulas.

The suit filed in St. Ignace, Mich., claims the plaintiffs will either complete the repairs themselves or hire another company for the work, the News reported.