OIL CITY, Pa. (EYT) — The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced that a detour for the Hunter Station Bridge replacement project in Forest County is not expected to begin until September, but motorists might soon encounter lane restrictions and brief delays associated with the project.

The bridge is located on Route 62 over the Allegheny River in Tionesta Township, Forest County, between the Forest/Venango County line and Hunter Station Road.

A new bridge is being built upstream from the existing structure.

Work on the bridge replacement project started in September 2016, and the project is expected to be completed by March 28, 2018.

A detour will be required for the project, and the initial requirement was that the detour would not begin before July 5, 2017, and would not extend beyond October 31, 2017.

PennDOT and the project contractor have determined a more specific estimate for the start and duration of the required detour.

The detour is now expected to begin sometime in early-to-mid September and remain in effect for approximately one month. A specific start date for the beginning of the detour will be announced in advance. The route for the posted detour will use Route 36, Route 208, and Route 157.

Also, traffic delays to allow the safe unloading of steel beams for the project are expected to begin as early as next week. Delays could require brief, intermittent traffic stoppages lasting approximately 15 minutes at a time.

Lane restrictions will also be required at times during daylight work hours, with traffic to be controlled by flaggers.

The contractor is Mekis Construction Corporation of Fenelton, PA. The contract cost is $23,774,703.87, which is to be paid entirely with federal funds.

PennDOT urges motorists to slow down when driving in work zones, and also to be alert to changing conditions, avoid distractions and to pay attention to signs and flaggers. Drive responsibly in work zones for your safety and the safety of the workers.

For more information on projects occurring or being bid this year, those made possible by or accelerated by the state transportation funding plan (Act 89), or those on the department’s Four and Twelve Year Plans, visit www.projects.penndot.gov.

Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 825 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

Follow local PennDOT information on Twitter at www.twitter.com/511PAErie.