NANJING, Oct. 28  -- A major renovation project will kick off Friday night on a 48-year-old bridge in Nanjing, which was the first ever China-designed bridge constructed over the Yangtze.

The project on the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge will begin at 10 p.m. in its namesake city, which is the capital of the eastern province of Jiangsu. The work is projected to take 27 months, and cost about 1.09 billion yuan (161 million U.S. dollars).

The bridge will be strengthened structurally, so that it is safe for a longer period of time. Modern-day traffic volume far exceeds what the bridge was initially designed to carry.

The renovation team will endeavor to avoid damaging any of the existing decorative elements of the bridge, according to Nanjing culture, radio, television, press and publication bureau.

Built in 1968, Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge is one of the longest in China, it was hailed an engineering miracle upon its completion.

While the bridge is closed, vehicles can either use the second Nanjing Yangtze bridge, completed in 2001, or the tunnels below the river.