A 100-year-old bridge across the Merrimack River in Concord is closing sooner than expected due to safety concerns.
The Concord Monitor reports that the Sewalls Falls Bridge is shutting down Monday.
The bridge was slated to remain open until construction on its replacement began in the spring. But city officials decided to shut it down soon because of its deteriorating condition.
Federal dollars are supposed to pay for 80 percent of the $10 million project, but the newspaper reports the funding has been delayed as the federal government struggles to find money for highway projects.
Alternate routes for bridging the river include Route 4 between Boscawen and Concord north of the Sewalls bridge and Interstate 93 between exits 15 and 16.