BERNE — The Beaverdam Creek Bridge, in Berne, will be closing on Sept. 7 so its surface, or deck, can be replaced, according to the New York State Department of Transportation. Traffic will be diverted from then until mid-November, at which point only trucks will be made to take a detour. 

Department of Transportation Public Information Officer Bryan Viggiani told The Enterprise this week that the bridge, on State Route 156, carries approximately 1,015 motor vehicles per day. The detour — along County Route 254 and State Route 443 — is approximately 5.2 miles, adding around nine minutes of drive time, Viggiani said. 

The project, which is expected to be completed next spring, is part of a $5.4 million contract “to perform preventative maintenance repairs to extend the service lives of six bridges in a three-county area,” Viggiani said.

The Beaverdam Creek Bridge is receiving a new deck, which Viggiani explained is the “surface of the bridge that vehicles ride upon. Over the bridge’s lifespan, due to the continual flow of traffic and weather, the bridge deck will eventually need replacement.”