Large swaths of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway have shut down this weekend for repairs. With traffic diverted due to road closures, some drivers and neighborhood residents are frustrated and confused.

The closures stem from construction work that the city Department of Transportation says is necessary. The work is centered around installing new concrete and adding reinforcing steel bars at spans on the expressway near Clark Street and Grace Court as part of near-term work critical to extending the structure’s lifespan, the department said.

The department has been warning drivers about the closures for weeks. Officials say drivers should avoid the area and take mass transportation to get around this weekend.

The Queens-bound Brooklyn-Queens Expressway will be fully closed from Atlantic Avenue to Sands Street until 4 a.m. on Monday.

With the Atlantic Avenue ramp closed, drivers are being directed onto Boerum Place and up to Tillary Street to enter the highway further east.

Drivers are also not allowed to make eastbound left turns from Atlantic Avenue onto Hicks Street or Clinton Street. Buses are allowed, however.

When NY1 asked neighborhood resident Scott Accardo if he would be driving this weekend, he emphatically said no.

“Very frustrating. I’m going to tuck my car away somewhere safe, and hopefully I don’t get too many traffic tickets,” Accardo said.

He added that he will either walk or ride a bike to get around this weekend.

Some neighborhood residents told NY1 that they are concerned about traffic spilling onto local streets.

“Traffic is a really crazy thing that’s impacting a lot of pedestrians in the area,” local pedestrian Devin Williams said. “I know there have been several hit and runs over here. I feel like it’s really important for the city not only to be investing in transportation, but also making the streets safer.”

The next round of Brooklyn-Queens Expressway construction work is scheduled to take place this June.