Nighttime closures of the Agate Pass Bridge that had been planned for December have been canceled, state officials said Monday.

The Washington State Department of Transportation said it was calling off the series of night closures for the bridge that were previously scheduled over three weeks in December.

Both lanes of the bridge will remain open throughout the month of December, officials said.

The Department of Transportation had planned to close the span of Highway 305 that connects Bainbridge Island to the Kitsap Peninsula next month so seven overhead steel horizontal bridge members could be replaced.

The bridge structure had damaged earlier by an overheight load, and the repairs were in preparation for a bridge painting project scheduled to begin in 2019.

The Department of Transportation said it canceled the work to allow staff more time to prepare for the project.

The times and dates of the work will be announced when the project is rescheduled.

State officials still plan to have the annual inspection of the bridge completed in February.

Crews will return to the bridge then for its annual bridge inspection, and traffic is expected to be reduced to one-way alternating traffic during daytime hours for the inspection.