MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - It's orange barrel season and after a long preparation, the Marsh Road bridge over the GTW/CN Railroad is ready for construction.

Construction is set to begin on the bridge on Monday, April 4th between Franklin Street and Haslett Road.

The 52-year-old bridge is deteriorating which is why this year, the superstructure of the bridge is being replaced.

The Ingham County Road Department hired contractors that will start demolition and reconstructing on the west side of the bridge. Construction for the the east side is expected this summer. During that time traffic will be maintained in one way lane in each direction on the new bridge deck (the west side of the bridge) while contractors work on the east side.

Up until this point, the ICRD has been prepping for construction with utility relocation, according to Bill Conklin, Managing Director of the Ingham County Road Department.

Conklin also said Marsh Road is expected be completely closed sometime in August for about two weeks. This will allow for contractors to conduct a "closure and pour", which will connect both sides of the bridge and allow them to become one.

During this closure, Marsh Road will be detoured to one of several alternate routes. More information about a specific start and end date as well as suggested detour routes, will be available as it gets closer to August, Conklin said.

The project is estimated to cost $1.58 million and is expected to be completely finished by Labor Day 2016.