A project to preserve the Cliffdale Road bridge spanning the All American Freeway will require partial closures each night for the next several months.

California-based American Civil Constructors, which won the $2 million contract last fall from the N.C. Department of Transportation, will start the project tonight.

For the next two months, the contractor will work on the driving deck of the Cliffdale Road bridge, necessitating one direction to close each night; westbound detour will use the Morganton Road exit, and eastbound detour will use the Raeford Road exit. The department will post upcoming detours on its traveler information website at DriveNC.gov.

The contractor then will shift work to the substructures for another two months, requiring only one lane in each direction to close nightly on the All American Freeway.

All closures will be restricted to 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily. Drivers should slow down, obey all work zone signs and be alert for crews and equipment.

The project is expected to be completed by this fall.

The bridge, first built in 1978, was widened in the early 2000s for the creation of an interchange with on/off ramps at Cliffdale Road.

As part of this contract, the bridge will get a special concrete coating that helps extend the life of the bridge surface. To do this, workers will remove about one inch of the old concrete and replace it with the new coating. Any needed structural fixes will be checked and repaired before the new layer is put down. Grooves will also be added to the surface to increase traction for safety and help water drain off the bridge.