Countless trucks have taken a whack at the Waco Street bridge spanning Interstate 10, but it is a road crew that will finally bring it down, starting Wednesday night.

For the next 10 months thereafter, drivers will have to find another route.

The closure, which Texas Department of Transportation officials called “highly anticipated” in a release, will last until December when a new overpass with a higher elevation is completed. The new bridge will come with more space for pedestrians and bicyclists.

The existing span was built in 1968, when requirements for freeway clearance were different. For drivers, problems at Waco are a common occurrence. The bridge, with a clearance of 14 feet, 4 inches over the freeway, is among the lowest in the region and commonly struck by over-height trucks.

The $6.4 million rebuild will make the new bridge 16 feet, 6 inches. NBG Constructors, who won the job in November, has financial incentives if it completes the work early. Between 11,000 and 12,000 vehicles use Waco Street around I-10, based on 2018 traffic counts.

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Work to demolish the Waco Street bridge also will close I-10 over the weekend in both directions. Crews will close the freeway at 9 p.m. Friday and reopen it by 5 a.m. Monday. That leaves two major freeways, Loop 610 at Interstate 69 and I-10, closed for the weekend.

In both cases, TxDOT officials are warning drivers to expect significant delays and plan for trips taking longer.

dug.begley@chron.com