The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) began a project Friday to replace the Weldon Road-Espanong Road bridge deck over all lanes of Route 15 in Jefferson.

According to officials, NJDOT’s contractor, Ritacco Construction, Inc., is scheduled to implement the initial construction zone along the middle portion of the bridge to remove the existing concrete median and install new pavement.

The work will require that the left travel lanes on Weldon Road-Espanong Road be closed to traffic and the roadway be reduced from four travel lanes to one travel lane in each direction throughout construction. NJDOT anticipates the project being completed by the end of 2013.

NJDOT said construction will advance in stages, with long term traffic shifts, closures and detours necessary around the interchange. All travel-lanes on Route 15 will be maintained under the bridge during peak period travel hours, with occasional single-lane closures during off-peak hours.

The $2.7 million federally-funded project is replacing the existing, structurally deficient bridge deck and parapets with minor substructure repair to the concrete piers and abutment walls. The existing bridge was built in 1973 and according to NJDOT officials, deteriorated, requiring replacement of the deck and related work.