Flagler bridge closure update: Officials meeting tonight to discuss closing before April

Safety concerns regarding the Flagler Memorial bridge is prompting Florida Department of Transportation officials to shut it down before April.

DOT authorities will discuss the issues during a special meeting tonight at the Palm Beach Convention Center.

The bridge was shut down last November because of malfunctioning bridge locks. 

It caused major traffic problems for drivers trying to navigate around downtown West Palm Beach, and for those trying to get on and off the island. 

There's been limited use of the bridge since.

Crews have been making repairs to the 86 year old bridge for more than a year. A 94 million dollar bridge is replacing it, but it won't be complete until the end of 2014. 

Authorities have not said when they will close the bridge down, but plans on how they will reroute traffic is already being discussed. 

Drivers will have to access another route over the next 20 months until the new bridge is in place.