Long-scheduled repairs to the Gwynn’s Island bridge in Mathews will finally begin next month, with all marine openings due to be suspended as of 9 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 19. This will continue through March 2023.

According to a press release from the Virginia Department of Transportation, the closure will affect marine traffic that requires navigational clearance greater than 11 feet vertically and 80 feet horizontally. Watercraft that can navigate under the bridge within the clearance may continue to travel through the area most of the time, said the release.

Because of the condition of the bridge, openings have been occurring just six times a day, at 2 a.m., 5 a.m., 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 7 p.m., and 10 p.m.

The $10.7 million maintenance project will mobilize in late August, said the release. The work will improve the mechanical and electrical elements that operate the bridge’s movable swing span. The project also includes structural steel repairs and renovation of the bridge’s ten...