New plea for patience as Corporation Road Bridge repair project rumbles on . . . and on . . . and on

                                   

The bridge has been totally cocooned to exclude dust, rain and debris during the repairs

A NEW plea for patience has been  sounded over the longer-than-expected project to repair Grimsby's Corporation Road Bridge.

Says Cllr Stewart Swinburn, North East Lincolnshire Council's portfolio holder for environment and transport: "I should again  like to thank all of our residents, local businesses and partners for continuing to support the much-needed refurbishing works.

"Closing the bridge for an extended period of time was not an easy decision to make, but it has been necessary in order for this historic structure to be saved.

"If we had chosen not to go ahead with the refurbishment, this 100-year old structure would likely not be around for much longer."

Grit-blasting works to the undersides of the bridge have revealed that more repairs are necessary.

A spokesperson for Spencer Group, the principal contractor, comments: "This bridge has been in place for almost 100-years, and exposed to harsh environmental conditions.

"As blasting works have progressed, it has become clear that the extent of the repairs required are beyond those originally envisaged. 

"This has required further designs to be added to the scope of works in addition to further physical repairs."

No update has been provided on a target date for completion nor the likely size of the final bill.