Starting next week, two big Department of Transportation projects could have an impact on drivers in Saratoga Springs. Our Matt Hunter has the details.

SARATOGA COUNTY, N.Y. – Both built in 1962, the bridges spanning the Northway at East High Street in Malta and Crescent Avenue in Saratoga Springs are nearing the end of their lives, according to state transportation officials.

"Both bridges are safe, but they have aged to the point where replacement is more cost-effective than continuing to put money into it to maintain the bridges,” said Bryan Viggiani, a spokesperson for the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT).

Beginning Monday and expected to last through August, each bridge will be closed to traffic while DOT crews work to replace them as part of an $8 million project.

 “We are going to be doing work underneath and upper top of both bridges, and to do that, we need to close the spans over the Northway,” Viggiani said Wednesday.

The southbound ramp onto the Northway that sits adjacent to the Crescent Avenue bridge will remain open. The ramp is frequently used by visitors to Saratoga Race Course during the busy summer.

“We realize it is a busy season, but we are trying to do this as quickly and as painlessly as possible,” Viggiani said.

The closest year-round business is Saratoga Casino Hotel, which has an entrance less than a mile away on Crescent Avenue.

"We applaud the State and Department of Transportation's decision to ensure the infrastructure development of Saratoga County remains a top priority," Saratoga Casino Hotel general manager Alex Tucker said. “We have initiated, and will continue to communicate, this change to our guests and employees who may be affected by the temporary closure."

The East High Street bridge supports an average of 4,000 cars a day, while Crescent Avenue's daily traffic is slightly less at 2,800. With the region's continued economic growth expected to bring even more traffic, officials believe the time is right.

"Infrastructure is critical to that economy, so really, trying to maintain these bridges and keep them in good shape and to replace them is all part and parcel to that," Viggiani said.