Inspections launched in April to determine the condition of concrete overpasses in Metro Detroit will take twice as long and cost 80 percent more than first thought, officials say.

But fixes now are being made as workers go, rather than being set aside for later, Michigan Department of Transportation officials said.

The $1.8 million project on about 250 bridges in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties began after concrete fell from highway overpasses in Livonia and Warren in mid-March, damaging several cars.