AUGUSTA — Replacing the bridge that takes busy Western Avenue over the even-busier Interstate 95 will require both northbound highway lanes to close temporarily late Wednesday into Thursday morning.

The $30 million project to replace the 70-year-old bridge that carries Western Avenue, which is also U.S. Route 202, over the interstate started in 2023 and is expected to be done in June 2026.

Wednesday night crews plan to place large precast bridge units into their permanent locations for the new bridge. While the new units are put into place, I-95 northbound will have intermittent closures of up to 25 minutes each, delaying northbound motorists during that work.

The closures are expected between 11 p.m. Wednesday and 5 a.m. Thursday.

Andrew Gobeil, communications director for the state Department of Transportation, said the precast bridge units cannot be set in place over live traffic, thus the brief closures are planned. Earlier in the project, the interstate also closed briefly when the temporary bridge beams were set and when the old bridge beams were removed.

Gobeil said the limited amount of overnight traffic allows the work to take place with minimal disruptions.

The precast bridge units are large, with the northbound units 86 feet long, and the southbound units 72 feet long. They are between 7 feet and 9 feet wide.

Gobeil said the units are not commonly installed in Maine, but using them limits the amount of time needed to work over the interstate.

“This is a great milestone and marks a significant step in the process,” Gobeil said. “We expect the bridge to be complete in just under a year.”

Transportation department officials said weather and other factors may impact the work.

A temporary bridge is in place for construction as work continues on a new bridge with an alignment similar to the old bridge.

The new bridge will have additional vertical clearance for the interstate below it, going from 14 feet, 4 inches to 16 feet above the interstate to meet federal standards. In 2017 something struck the nearby bridge at Exit 109A in Augusta, requiring substantial repairs.

The project will also add sidewalks on both sides of the bridge and about 1,350 feet of new sidewalk along Western Avenue and Whitten Road to improve pedestrian access and safety.

Western Avenue sees about 16,960 vehicles heading eastbound and 10,970 traveling westbound each day, according to state data. On Interstate 95, data shows 20,190 vehicles travel northbound and 14,810 southbound daily. Whitten Road, near Texas Roadhouse and Hannaford, sees 4,961 vehicles daily.

Reed & Reed, of Woolwich, is the contractor on the job.

The site at the busy intersection with Whitten Road was busy in preparation for the work Tuesday, with three cranes, including one massive crane, poised to work.

The existing bridge has failing paint, an eroding slope, rusting steel beams, worn-out bearings, and cracked and breaking concrete.