CINCINNATI — The bottom deck of the Western Hills Viaduct will be closed overnight this weekend as crews install protective netting above the viaduct's intersection with Spring Grove Avenue.

The bottom deck will close from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. May 7-9. The closure will prohibit access to the lower deck from the Harrison Avenue exit on the west end and Spring Grove Avenue on the east end.

The top deck will remain open to drivers, as will the ramp at Exit 2B from southbound Interstate 75.

Cincinnati's Department of Transportation and Engineering announced Tuesday that the nets are a safety precaution to catch loose concrete from maintenance and inspection work along the upper deck.

The viaduct, connecting Queensgate and CUF with South Fairmount, has been deteriorating for years, and concrete chunks have occasionally fallen from its upper deck onto cars driving across the lower deck.

“This area is increasingly difficult to manage through regular inspections and chipping because it is in a narrow opening that is hard see and reach,” said Bill Shefcik, who oversees bridge infrastructure for DOTE, in the announcement. “The netting will catch loose concrete that cannot be seen or easily reached.”

In its announcement, DOTE reiterated the 89-year-old viaduct "is reaching the end of its useful life." The city of Cincinnati and Hamilton County are working to replace the viaduct with a new “extradosed” bridge.

MORE: See what the Western Hills Viaduct's replacement could look like

Site preparation is slated to begin later this year, but the existing viaduct will remain until the replacement bridge is finished in 2028.

DOTE said the viaduct is still safe to travel, though the city is upping maintenance efforts "with the installation of the netting this year and the addition of weight limits for certain types of three-axel trucks last year."

Notice netting on your neighbors' trees? Here's how it protects against cicadas

Updated: 8:55 PM EDT May 13, 2021

Some are already starting to see signs of the Brood X cicadas emerging, and if you've seen bags on trees in your neighborhood, it's for a good reason. Carrie Engle at Valley View Farms in Cockeysville, Maryland, said there is value in putting a net over young trees ahead of the cicada swarm of 2021. Engle said cicadas can be devastating to young trees."The female cicadas, after they get together with the males, are going to slit the ends of the branches and lay their eggs in that slit, so, maybe 6 inches to a foot back, and then eventually that will break away from the main branch," she said.Mature trees aren't so much at risk. Their branches are thicker and stronger. Plus, it's difficult to climb that high to cover branches with netting. But the young tree branches are too weak for the netting to hang on and can break. Engle said you'll notice some bowing later this summer. If you're going to get a net to cover your tree, make sure the holes are no larger than three-eighths of an inch because cicadas can get through them."The cicadas are coming. A lot of people are excited about it and some are dreading it. But it's kind of a cool phenomenon when you think about it. It only happens every 17 years," Engle said.If your trees do take a beating, don't worry. Engle said it's a natural pruning that will eventually fix itself.