Route 34 bridge in Derby closing next week

Traffic travels through the construction zone on the Main Street (Rt. 34) bridge, over the Naugatuck River, seen here looking towards downtown Derby, Conn. March 4, 2016. Traffic travels through the construction zone on the Main Street (Rt. 34) bridge, over the Naugatuck River, seen here looking towards downtown Derby, Conn. March 4, 2016. Photo: Ned Gerard Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media Photo: Ned Gerard Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Route 34 bridge in Derby closing next week 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

DERBY — The bridge carrying Route 34 over the Naugatuck River in Derby, near Route 8, will be closed overnight for two weeks.

The overnight closures of Route 34 and the bridge are necessary for the placement of concrete for portions of the new bridge deck, part of a project to rehabilitate and widen the bridge that began last year.

The closures begin Monday and continue through Friday May 6, and again Sunday May 8, 2016 through Friday May 13, state Department of Transportation officials said. The bridge will be closed from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. on those days.

A detour will be set up using Route 115 into Ansonia to cross the Naugatuck River, Pershing Drive and Route 8. Detour signs will be posted and Derby and Ansonia, and police will assist with traffic control. One lane will be provided for emergency vehicles and pedestrians only during the closures.

Baier Construction Co. of Bloomfield is the contractor on the $8.86 million project. Work began in March, 2014 and is scheduled to be complete in November.

Jonas Hampton, a DOT highway engineer, said 40,800 vehicles travel on Route 34 daily, with 360 cars an hour making the right turn onto Derby-Milford Road from Route 34 during the morning rush, and 470 per hour turn onto Route 34 heading toward Derby during the evening rush.