Calgary commuters who use the southern portion of Deerfoot Trail on their commute to work will have a harder time, starting Friday.

Work is being done on the Ivor Strong Bridge, just south of Anderson Road and Bow Bottom Trail S.E.

Crews are replacing the expansion joints on the bridge, which is regular maintenance, but it’s expected to be a big headache, especially because the construction isn’t scheduled to be finished until July.

Drivers will need to contend with a narrowing of the lanes on the bridge, from six lanes down to four, starting at 9:00 p.m. on Friday.

The work will affect both north and southbound traffic on the bridge.

It will not affect the weight restrictions in place on the bridge, but any wide loads that will use the bridge will need to coordinate with officials.

The speed limit through the area will also be dropped to 50 km/h for the safety of road workers and speed fines are, as usual, doubled in construction zones. Drivers are also reminded to obey all flag persons, signs and signals in place.

The construction won’t just be limited to certain days of the week either; work is expected to go around the clock to ensure it’s done as soon as possible.

If you’re looking to avoid the construction work altogether, you can take Stoney or Peigan Trail as a detour.

Barring any major delays, all of the work should wrap up by the first week of July.