Drivers cruising over the McCullough Bridge haven’t had smooth sailing at night over the past few months. Those delays aren’t over yet.

The four-year construction project to extend the life of the bridge has led to nighttime lane closures since last fall and will continue though the end of September. But road itself should be come smoother.

Starting Monday, crews will be applying three-fourths of an inch of a polyester polymer to the entire length of the span. The material is essentially a quick-curing concrete, said Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Dan Latham. It will cover pockmarks created over the years when tires kicked up small bits of rock previously embedded in the concrete.

As has been the case since the project started, one lane of traffic will remain open on the bridge and vehicles will be escorted by a pilot car.

Latham said most of the work is scheduled to on weeknights, though wet weather may force some work to take place over the weekends. Lane closures are scheduled between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Coos Bay paving project

While work on the McCullough Bridge is far from finished, the ODOT project to repave U.S. Highway 101 in downtown Coos Bay is nearly complete. Latham said there are still about 90 manhole covers to replace, lane markings to stripe and some drainage work to complete. He expects the project to be finished by the end of the month. Until then, single lane closures will continue intermittently between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. on week nights.

Other construction

Don’t forget: State Highway 38 between Drain and Elkton is closed for bridge replacement at the Elk Creek tunnel between Drain and Elkton through 6 a.m. Monday. Watch for traffic controlled by flaggers throughout the week. Watch for construction vehicles, equipment and workers alongside the roadway.