Bayonne Bridge closing this weekend

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is closing the Bayonne Bridge for ongoing construction work.

The agency says the bridge will close at 11:59 p.m. Friday and will reopen at 8 a.m. Sunday.

The bridge is closed during the week from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and overnight from 8:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The Port Authority has said it will be late 2017 before larger ships will have clearance to pass under the bridge.

That was initially projected to happen in 2016 or even late 2015.

The $1.3 billion project is expected to be fully completed in 2019 and could cost 15 percent more than estimated.

The Port Authority says work was delayed in part because of last season's harsh winter and complex steel reinforcement work.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.