Construction to resume on Napier Ave. bridge over St. Joseph river Monday

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napier-bridge-500x310-1

The Berrien County Road Department is asking drivers to once again prepare for delays as they travel in and out of St. Joseph via Napier Avenue, as construction is set to resume Monday on the bridge over the St. Joseph River.

Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction for the duration of the project. The road department did not specify how long the remainder of the project would take.

The work is part of a planned rehabilitation project on the bridge, which started in March. It hit a snag in April when crews doing sandblasting spotted a need for more repairs, and the bridge was closed completely for a few weeks. They eventually were able to reopen one lane of travel in each direction. The bridge fully reopened as the road department waited for material to add additional supports to the underside of the bridge.

The rehabilitation project initially was to have cost between $1.8 and $2 million. Since the April closure, the cost has come in between $2.7 and $3 million.