Starting next month, crews will be securing the rocky hill between Bremerton and Gorst to help prevent rock slides into State Highway 3, according to a statement.

State Department of Transportation crews will scale the bluffs along the highway to pull down loose rocks, bolt large rocks to the hill with long dowels and will drape protective fencing over the hillside to catch falling rocks.

Four lanes will be open during construction when work begins in late August, but drivers can expect shifted and narrow lanes, no shoulders, and a slower speed limit. Delays are expected to be lengthy. The work is expected to finish in the fall.

About 70,000 drivers pass the stretch of highway daily, the statement said. Drivers and bicyclists will share the right lane, and a pilot car will help guide cyclists through the work zone.

Rock and Co., which does business as Ock Ray, was given the contract last week for the low bid of $1.3 million, the statement said.

For more details about the project, including the best times to travel during construction, go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr3/unstableslopes/.