East Lyme — The Niantic River Bridge will be closed to motor vehicles next Wednesday night through early Thursday morning.

The state Department of Transportation announced today that it will perform routine maintenance on the highway bridge between Waterford and East Lyme starting 8 p.m. May 15 through 4 a.m. the following day.

All traffic on the bridge, except emergency vehicles, will be re-routed during those hours, according to the DOT news release. 

Vehicles heading east on Route 156 will be directed to travel north on Route 161, turn right on Route 1, then make another right onto Niantic River Road and then return to Route 156. Westbound vehicles on Route 156 will travel the reverse route, according to the release.

The routes and time frames could be changed if necessary because of weather conditions or other unexpected issues, the DOT stated.

The transportation department is asking motorists to drive at a “safe speed” in the area of the maintenance work.