A project that will update the 72-year-old Memorial Bridge at Lewiston has begun with in-water work to shore up its footings.

A barge is staged beneath the bridge and workers are placing riprap around the piers that support the span across the lower Clearwater River. The piers are being retained but the deck of the bridge will be replaced.

“This is an early construction phase,” said Mark Pfeifer, a spokesperson for the Idaho Transportation Department at Lewiston.

Buoys have been placed around the work area and the agency is asking boaters to slow down and exercise caution just as they would around road construction crews. The in-water work is expected to continue into September.

Starting about Aug. 15, work to replace and expand the deck of the bridge will begin. The $38.2 million project will be overseen by Wadsworth Brothers Construction Co., of Draper, Utah.

After the work is done, the deck of the bridge will have expanded from about 62 feet to more than 79 feet to better accommodate vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic. It will continue to have four lanes of traffic — two northbound and two southbound. However, each lane will be wider than they are now, as will the medium. Shoulders will be added to each side of the bridge and the sidewalks on the upstream and downstream edges of the bridge will be wider than existing walkways.

The work is expected to take more than a year to complete. During much of the work, the bridge will be reduced to two lanes.

Memorial Bridge, located north of downtown of Lewiston, is part of U.S. Highway 12.

Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.