Repairs to the damaged Interstate 95 overpass at exit 87 in Richmond Hill will not start until next month, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

The work is slated to begin in mid-September, “due to the fabrication time of the steel substructure to the specific specifications needed for this project,” GDOT District Communications Officer Jill Nagel said. “Thirty-day contract completion is expected once the contactor begins work, if the weather permits.”

Meanwhile, the right lane of northbound Highway 17 at the I-95 interchange remains closed, reducing traffic to one lane traveling under the overpass. The deceleration lane for exit 87 on I-95 southbound also is closed until further notice.

“We ask the public to be patient during this time and find alternate routes in lieu of U.S. 17 northbound at the I-95 overpass,” Nagel said.

Nine support beams were damaged when a tractor-trailer hit the overpass on July 2, according to the GDOT. The excavator that was loaded on the driver’s flatbed trailer was too high to clear the overpass and became wedged underneath it on northbound Highway 17.

The $1.4 million repair project will include removing and replacing seven of the support beams, according to Nagel. The other two beams will be kept in place and repaired, she said.

The reconstruction contract was awarded on July 28 to L.C. Whitford of Alpharetta, according to the GDOT.