Lincoln Pelham Bridge closure extended by a week
The project to re-waterproof the bridge has caused major disruption to traffic in the city
Major roadworks on Lincoln's Pelham Bridge have been extended by a week as council bosses say the bridge was in a poorer condition that originally expected.
It means the major city centre crossing will remain closed to traffic and pedestrians until Sunday August 22 - seven days later than planned.
Resurfacing work on Canwick Road is also due to be completed by that date and the 'tidal flow' traffic system will be back in operation from August 23.
Work has been ongoing since June to completely strip back and re-waterproof the bridge.
Workers stripped off the old kerbs, streetlights, paving and road surface and used high powered jets to break up old pieces of concrete on the bridge deck.
Senior Bridge Engineer Richard Waters said:
"There have been a lot more concrete repairs to the bridge deck than we hoped for, and getting them all repaired pushed back the start of our waterproofing.
"We have also had to use a more complex expansion joint which requires extra work, and found some of the street lighting columns have corroded badly and need strengthening before they can be put back up.
"We couldn't have known about the extent of these issues until we stripped back the bridge, but it shows how necessary these repairs were."
Cllr Richard Davies from Lincolnshire County Council, said:
"I'd like to thank residents in Lincoln for their patience whilst we did these repairs on Pelham Bridge. I know the closure has caused disruption in the city, and I'm glad the end is now in sight.
"It's a shame that the extra work required has extended the closure, but I'd rather we do the job right this time, and avoid us having to come back with a huge job like this for many years.
"We'll also still be off the bridge well before the schools start back again in September."