MIRAMICHI, N.B. — The Miramichi Centennial Bridge will need extra work according to the New Brunswick Department of Transportation.

Last June, the government cancelled a $606,450 contract to repair the bridge’s deck and apply a new coat of asphalt. The lowest bid came in at $391,500 above what engineers figured it should cost.

The job was put out to tender again and a few weeks ago a contract was awarded to Arthur Sivret et Fils for just over a million dollars.

Transport spokesperson Tracy Burkhardt in Fredericton says the job will cost more because inspectors discovered several “bearings” between the bridge’s steel beams and concrete piers need to be replaced.

She says New Brunswick bridges are inspected at least once every two years, and the Centennial Bridge’s turn came up last year.

Replacing bearings involves jacking the bridge off its piers, which means it has to be closed to traffic. The department decided to make one job of it, which in turn jacked up the cost.

The bridge, a major highway link between Moncton and the North Shore, closed to traffic Sunday to start the seven-week job. Truckers are asked to detour the bridge using Route 8 (King George Highway) and Route 117, crossing the Miramichi City Bridge.