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Above Watch: The machinery is being moved into place and work is set to begin on the Whoop Up Drive bridge, and drivers can expect delays. Quinn Campbell reports.

LETHBRIDGE: Lane closures and speed limit reductions on Whoop Up Drive have officially begun.

City crews have started bridge rehabilitation work. It means slow-moving traffic through September, but Road Infrastructure Manager for the City of Lethbridge Richard Brummund says the work is necessary.

“On the Eastbound bridge there’s a deck replacement that is needed. The surface of the road is beginning to deteriorate, so it’s time to replace that surface,” said Brummund. “You might just have to leave a little bit earlier in the day. Expect some delay and congestion, but by the end of the summer we should be off of there and good to go.”

Weather permitting, the work schedule for Whoop-Up Drive lane closures is as follows:

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Westbound outside lane: Closed May 19-July 21

Eastbound outside lane: Closed May 19-July 8

Westbound inside lane: Closed July 21-September 23

Eastbound centre & inside lanes: Closed July 8-August 27 (*Eastbound traffic will be reduced to one lane during this period)

Starting Tuesday, the eastbound and westbound outside lanes will be closed into July.

Kristen Harding with Lethbridge Regional Police says drivers need to obey the reduced speed limits or they will be ticketed, “The reduced speed signs apply all the time, not just when workers are on site. When workers are present, those speed fines double.

Drivers are encouraged to use alternate routes during construction including Bridge Drive and the Highway 3 bridge.