Drivers in Lorain should plan for temporary weekday closures of the Charles Berry Bascule Bridge on East Erie Avenue beginning later this month.

According to the Ohio Department of Transportation, daily closures are expected to begin Feb. 23, and continue for about two weeks.

Work will take place Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The bridge is expected to remain open outside of those hours and on weekends.

Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley said the state is performing spacer repairs on the bridge.

Bradley said the project will be completed in three phases, with this closure marking the first round of work.

“I think what they’re going to do is one phase, and then two more short closings after that during the year,” he said.

The mayor said the city’s role will primarily involve traffic control during construction hours. Bridges in Lorain County are overseen by the county engineer and ODOT.

“We try to work with them to make sure that there’s as little disruption as possible and yet making sure that the bridge remains safe and operational, not only for vehicle traffic, but also for shipping traffic in and out of our port,” Bradley said.

The city was notified toward the end of last year that work would be scheduled but did not receive exact dates at that time. Bradley said ODOT likely considered weather conditions in setting the start date.

“I think they judge the weather and want to make sure that it’s not too cold and that they don’t have a snow event or something like that,” he said.

Detour routes will be available during closure hours. Bradley said drivers can use Broadway to 21st Street and cross the Henderson Bridge to Colorado Avenue, or take Kansas Avenue to reconnect with East Erie Avenue.

The city also plans to have traffic enforcement.

“We’re going to try to have some traffic enforcement at the high-traffic times so that we can control traffic if that becomes an issue,” Bradley said.

Electronic signage has been posted to alert drivers of the schedule. Motorists are encouraged to plan ahead and allow extra travel time during weekday construction hours.