Commuters, take note: A detour on the westbound side of Route 9/U.S. Route 202 in Hopkinton will be in place beginning next Monday, April 15.
The Department of Transportation is doing maintenance work on the two bridges that carry the highway over Elm Brook and the Contoocook River between Interstate-89 Exit 5 and Route 127.
The detour will take westbound travelers to I-89 Exit 6 and across Route 127 back onto Route 9/U.S. 202, adding about a mile to their drive. Eastbound traffic will not be affected.
The detour is expected to be in place for about three months, according to DOT.
The preservation project will include replacing the bridge deck pavements and membranes, replacing expansion joints, a new paint job on the structural steel and general deck repairs.
A DOT spokesman told the Monitor in January that these are not red-listed bridges, but the work should help prevent more expensive reconstruction in the future. Both bridges were built in 1961, rebuilt 20 years later and are considered to be in satisfactory condition.
Red list bridges are considered to be in poor condition and require two inspections per year.
The prime contractor for the $2.6 million project is Beck and Bellucci, Inc., of Franklin and is scheduled to be completed by Oct. 18.