Southbound Highway 99 in Merced to close overnight Monday

Motorists on Highway 99 should expect delays as bridge work in Merced will require Caltrans to close southbound lanes overnight between Monday and Tuesday.

Southbound Highway 99 will be closed between State Route 140 near 16th Street and State Route 59/Martin Luther King Jr. Way from 9 p.m. Monday until 6 a.m. Tuesday, the agency said in a statement.

The work is expected to be completed in one night, but if additional time is needed, the contractor may continue work overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday, Caltrans said.

Crews also will work on road and bridge projects on Highway 99 between 15th Street and 13th Street, affecting northbound and southbound lanes during evening and overnight hours between Monday and Wednesday. Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, no road work will be done between Wednesday evening and Nov. 29.

This work is part of the $32.4 million State Route 99 East Merced Overhead Project, which began June 11, 2012. The project will replace the bridge decks on the 15th Street undercrossing and the east Merced overhead structures. The project also will bring bridge widths and bridge rails to current standards, install a concrete median barrier, provide standard shoulder widths and upgrade existing guard rails and bridge approach rails.

Motorists should expect 15-minute delays. A signed detour is in place, and alternate routes are recommended.

This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 3:38 PM with the headline "Southbound Highway 99 in Merced to close overnight Monday."