(KAIR)--Atchison motorists this week will need to choose an alternate route of travel as the 6th Street viaduct remains closed to traffic.

That follows repair work begun last week, made necessary due to damage incurred by the structure this past summer.

According to a release from the City of Atchison, the viaduct will remain closed to traffic for approximately one week while the patch material cures, with the engineer requesting that timeline.

The City, in the release, notes that while the closure is “inconvenient,” protecting the repairs from vibrations and movement helps to ensure a more effective and longer lasting repair.

The repair work is made necessary due to damage caused to the viaduct in August when a construction company’s excavator, transported on a trailer, damaged several of the viaduct’s beams as it passed beneath, eastbound on Main Street, due to a lack of clearance.

The City Commission this month gave unanimous approval to accept PciRoads low bid of $82,879 to conduct the work. According to City documents, the insurance provider for the construction company at fault for the damage has confirmed that both engineering and construction costs are able to be reimbursed.