THE full cost and catalogue of delays of a project to replace a small bridge have been revealed.

A Freedom of Information request has revealed Lexden Bridge, over the river Colne in Spring Lane, Colchester, took 58 weeks and cost £743,206.

It was initially scheduled to take 21 weeks and cost £422,297.

The list of problems that caused it to take more than a year to complete include flooding, a fallen tree and a rogue electricity cable.

The prolonged diversions caused business to lose custom and angered motorists.

John Baker, of West Bergholt, said: “Councils are very good at spending other people’s money.

“Traffic in Chapel Road, West Bergholt, which is the main thoroughfare for drivers who had to avoid Spring Lane, almost doubled.

“Now it has taken people quite a long time for them to realise they can use Spring Lane again.

“They have done a really good job in the end, but it comes at a cost to everybody.”

Lexden Bridge, which was 104 years old, was deemed too weak for traffic and in January last year, work began to demolish and replace it.

Work should have been completed in six months, but it did not reopen until April this year.

One of the businesses affected by the problems was Playgolf, in Lexden.

American Golf, the shop at the golf club, said takings fell from between £1,500 and £2,000 a day to £250 during the diversion.

 

FLOODING, an unknown power cable being discovered and a tree falling onto the site delayed the work.

Health and safety checks had to be made each time to make sure the site was safe for workers.

The Freedom of Information report said: “On the occasions the River Colne has flooded, the working areas had to be pumped dry and a considerable amount of debris and mud had to be removed. Areas of excavation subsided and sheet piles had to be installed to provide stability to the excavation. No work could continue until this was done.

“In addition, before work could recommence, the dam in the river needed to be inspected by specialists to ensure it was safe for workers to enter the working area.

“No work was possible before these inspections took place.

“Despite extensive consultation with utility providers during the design phase, an electricity cable was found within the existing bridge deck which was not known about by the owners, UK Power Networks, in advance.

“A fallen tree prevented the safe use of the temporary pedestrian footpath and pedestrians were diverted back across the existing Lexden Bridge, which had not yet been demolished.

“Due to the presence of pedestrians on the bridge, it was not safe to continue the demolition of the bridge and in the interest of public safety, work was suspended.

“When works are stopped due to unexpected events, it has to be rescheduled, it is then sometimes not possible to get the specialist sub-contractors to return to site when needed.”