UPDATE: Downtown Waterloo Bridges Temporarily Closing

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Preparations are being made to replace two aging bridges that span the Cedar River in downtown Waterloo.

Both structures are being temporarily closed so the contractor can perform river bottom borings, but city officials announced a new timeline for the work.

The 11th Street bridge was closed Monday. The Cedar River crossing is now expected to remain closed until sometime Friday. City officials initially said the bridge would reopen on Wednesday.

The contractor also plans to do similar work on the Park Avenue bridge, which will be closed Monday through Friday next week. Work on the Park Avenue bridge was supposed to be done this week.

According to Waterloo city officials, signed detours will be in place during the bridge closures.

Both bridges are scheduled to be replaced simultaneously, with construction expected to begin this fall. The work expected to take about two years to complete.

The city plans to seek bids for the project in September. The Iowa Department of Transportation has allocated $12.5 million dollars in federal money to the City of Waterloo to finance the project.

LOOK: Stunning vintage photos capture the beauty of America's national parks

Today these parks are located throughout the country in 25 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The land encompassing them was either purchased or donated, though much of it had been inhabited by native people for thousands of years before the founding of the United States. These areas are protected and revered as educational resources about the natural world, and as spaces for exploration.

Keep scrolling for 50 vintage photos that show the beauty of America's national parks.