Crews will be working for the next two weekends on a new bridge above the Gila River in Florence.

Work began Friday night, Jan. 13, on an “innovative bridge slide process,” Arizona Department of Transportation officials said.

The work will require lane restrictions on State Route 79 that are expected to cause delays for the next two weekends, according to ADOT.

The restrictions began Friday and will continue until 5 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16. Restrictions will be put in place again from 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, through 5 a.m. Monday, Jan. 23.

During both weekends, only one lane of traffic will be able to cross the bridge at a time. Temporary signals will be placed at either end of the bridge to regulate traffic, ADOT officials said.

Crews began work on the $22.1 million bridge in February 2022 by constructing  piers under the existing structure.

Then, new bridge segments were constructed on either side of the existing bridge. Once traffic was shifted to the new sections, the existing bridge in the center was dismantled to make room for the structure to be slid into place, according to ADOT.

When the new structure is in place later this month, drivers should expect ongoing construction work on and near the bridge to complete the project.

Occasional lane restrictions are possible, ADOT officials said.

For more: SR 79 bridge replacement project page.