DRIVERS are being warned to expect disruption as maintenance work starts on one of the region’s busiest bridges later this month.

A £1m upgrade of Milburngate Bridge in Durham City is due to take place later this summer.

Durham County Council announced today (TUES) that investigation work will start on the crossing this weekend, ahead of the main works, with motorists warned to expect delays.

Work will take place on Sunday (May 10) between 7am and 7pm, and again the following Sunday (May 17) at the same time.

Lane closures will be in place on the bridge between 4am and 9pm on both days, although two lanes will remain open, allowing traffic to flow in both directions during the works.

The council says that the footpaths over the bridge could also be subject to temporary closures, although only one will close at any time.

Milburngate Bridge, which carries the busy A690 over the River Wear, was opened in 1967 and last underwent a major refurbishment in 1996.

On average, the road carries around 48,000 vehicles through the centre of Durham every day, making it the busiest non-trunk road in County Durham.

As part of the investigations, specialist testing will be carried on the concrete bridge joints and a number of trial holes will be drilled.

A noise impact assessment has been carried out and noise reduction measures will be put in place to ensure disruption to businesses and residents is kept to a minimum.

John Reed, head of technical services at Durham County Council, said: “These investigation works are an essential part of the major maintenance scheme, which will begin in the summer.

“The findings will help us to ensure the maintenance work is carried out in the most efficient way in order to minimise disruption”.

He added: “We appreciate that this will cause some inconvenience to people using the bridge and we would ask people to be patient and allow extra time for their journeys during the work.”

The main maintenance work is expected to start on July 12, the day after the annual Miners’ Gala, and will see the carriageway reduced to one lane in each direction for around seven weeks, throughout the school summer holidays.

Work will include improvements to drainage, parapets and surfacing, concrete repairs and replacement waterproofing.

Once the project has been completed, the council says the bridge is not expected to need any further major maintenance for around 15 to 20 years.