The planned reopening later this month of Cleveland Bridge in Bath has been delayed, with hopes for a staged reopening in October instead.
Bath & North East Somerset Council has said that following further investigations at the historic bridge, there is a need for temporary supports to be used as part of ongoing repair work.
The specialist supports need to be designed, approved, and independently checked before being submitted to the Highways Authority for approval.
The local authority has said the need for the temporary supports is “safety critical”, and has pushed back the original end-of-September date for reopening.
Initially, only pedestrians, cyclists, and cars under traffic light control, will be able to use the bridge when it reopens in October until the repairs are fully completed.
Councillor Manda Rigby, cabinet member for Transport said: “This is a complex project and our project team is working closely with the contractor to keep the delay to as short a time as is possible.
“We apologise for the delay to our target re-opening but as we all know safety has to come first. It was not possible to anticipate the need for these particular supports until the concrete had been fully removed, and we will always keep you informed of any change in anticipated reopening.”
Work on the £3.8 million scheme to repair and safeguard the Grade II* listed structure began in May, before the bridge was closed to all vehicle traffic on 28th June.