CHICAGO (CBS) — A popular route onto Lake Shore Drive will close next month for some much-needed repairs.

Starting Oct. 1, the northbound entrance ramp to Lake Shore Drive at Michigan Avenue and Oak Street will be closed for six weeks, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT).

“This repair project is necessary due to the deteriorated condition of the concrete of the viaduct deck and retaining walls of the ramp, which has not seen any significant rehabilitation since its original construction in 1963,” CDOT Commissioner Gabe Klein said in a statement. “We want to complete this repair work immediately before another winter cycle of freezing and thawing, as well as additional damage that could come from the use of road salt.”

The on-ramp will be closed to traffic until mid-November. Northbound vehicles will be rerouted along Inner Lake Shore Drive for one mile to LaSalle Drive, where they can proceed north on Lake Shore Drive.

Southbound traffic exiting Lake Shore Drive at Michigan and Oak will not be affected by the repair work.

The $1.78 million project, to be performed by MQ Construction Co., will include the repair of the underside and topside of the on-ramp viaduct, repairing the concrete retaining walls as well as electrical and lighting repairs.