AUGUSTA – Work has begun on bridges in Turner and Livermore Falls that will restrict the bridges to one-way traffic for several weeks, officials announced this week.

In Turner, the Maine Department of Transportation will widen Chases Mill Bridge that carries Route 117 over the Nezinscot River near the Turner-Buckfield town line.

The bridge is too narrow and the guardrails have been hit several times by motorists, according to Herb Noyes of the DOT’s Dixfield regional office.

That section of Route 117 also is slated for major upgrades this spring, “so it makes sense to do the widening project now,” Noyes said.

The project will take 12 to 14 weeks to complete, Noyes said, depending on weather. During the project, the DOT will erect temporary traffic signals that will restrict vehicles to alternating one-way traffic.

In Livermore Falls, the Wentworth Bridge, which carries Route 106 over Scott Brook, will get new guardrails and a wider deck.

The project is expected to take 10 to 12 weeks and will reduce traffic to one lane, with signs regulating the flow of alternating one-way traffic.

Noyes urged all motorists to take special care when they approach one of the bridges under construction.