Work on the covered bridge in the Little Gap section of Lower Towamensing Township has begun.

The Carbon County Commissioners last week voted to advertise the road closure for the project. The bridge, which is owned by Carbon County, will be closed until Nov. 2 so that crews from Professional Construction Contractors Inc. of Bethlehem, the company hired by the county, could complete the project.The cost of the repairs is $291,126 and will include replacing the steel deck and sandblasting the remaining steel on the bridge and repainting it, as well as repairing any worn wooden arches and studs.It will be covered through two funding sources Act 13 bridge improvement funds and Act 44 funds.Earlier this year, the county commissioners voiced their approval for the project, calling the bridge a "real jewel" in the county.The covered bridge, formally known as bridge 17, has been the victim of numerous vehicle strikes over the past several years.The county set height and weight limits, but larger vehicles still attempted to cross the bridge, knocking down beams and damaging the decades-old structure.