Drivers who use the Hutchinson River Parkway might need to find an alternate route this weekend as a portion of the roadway will be shut down.

Construction on the East Third Street Bridge begins Friday. Crews will be working on demolishing the bridge, which connects the city of Mount Vernon and the village of Pelham. All lanes between exits 8 and 12 will be closed in both directions. Also East Lincoln Avenue southbound lanes just after Mill Road will be closed. Northbound lanes will be closed at the I-95 entrance near Pelham.

The Department of Transportation says the project is needed partly because the current bridge is vulnerable to frequent roadway flooding. This will be the first of three weekend closures as crews tear down the old bridge and replace it with a new one.

The closure is expected to last until Monday.