Lecompton ? The Kansas River bridge at Lecompton will be shut down to one lane starting Monday so it can be painted.

The painting project, which includes the removal of rust, could last until Aug. 15.

The work is being handled by Vimas Painting of Campbell, Ohio, at a cost of $836,000.

The firm began setting up equipment this week. One lane will be closed because some of the equipment and machinery will be left on the bridge.

“They’re putting temporary traffic signals at each end of the bridge to control the traffic 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Terese Gorman, engineering manager with the Douglas County Public Works Department.

A lane will be closed and the traffic signals activated by 7 a.m. Monday, Gorman said.

Last year, both lanes on the bridge were closed for several months while its deck was rebuilt. The closing caused difficulties for the Perry-Lecompton school district.

Closing it to one lane this time isn’t expected to cause problems, Superintendent Dennis Yoder said.

“We anticipate it is going to be pretty much business as usual,” he said. “We’ll be contacting parents to let them know – at least on the Lecompton side – that they might expect their children to becoming home 5 or 10 minutes late.”

The traffic signals will have a cycle of 2 minutes, Gorman said.

The project’s cost will be split between Douglas and Jefferson counties. Douglas County will pay 89 percent and Jefferson County will pay 11 percent.