Kiewit Pacific Co. County has started preliminary work on the Kilauea Bridge replacement project, Kaua'i County officials said today.

The bridge will be closed Tuesday for the duration of the project, which is expected to be completed in about a year. Traffic in the area will be re-routed to the main entrance to Kilauea town by way of Kolo Road.

The existing one-lane bridge was built over the Kilauea stream in 1913 and is being replaced due to deterioration. The new, two-lane concrete bridge will be 102 feet long and 35 feet wide and have a weight limit of 20 tons.

Kiewit was awarded $12.8 million for the project, with $10.2 million coming from Federal Highway Administration funds administered by the state Department of Transportation, and $2.6 million from the county.