Go-ahead for round-the-clock repairs as bridge bill hits £1m

The bill for saving the 154-year-old Mercury Bridge, Richmond, emerged as engineers were ordered to work around the clock on the project.

North Yorkshire County Council confirmed the spiralling costs and said that working hours on the site would be extended, as the operation entered a "critical" phase.

The listed structure, on the A6136 Richmond to Catterick road, collapsed in early June after severe flooding of the River Swale. Early estimates suggested the repair bill would be £500,000.

County councillors heard yesterday that 200 tons of steel would arrive on site tomorrow, with a 300-ton crane needed to put the support steelwork in place.

Working hours were increased so the support work could be completed by the end of August.

North Yorkshire's environmental services director, Mike Moore, said: "We are now entering a very critical phase of the whole operation.

"Unless it is possible to extend working hours on the site, then the whole restoration will be delayed."

He said that Richmondshire District Council had raised no objections to the extended working hours on the damaged bridge.

Councillors also refused Richmond Business and Tourism Association's plea for a Bailey bridge to be installed.

The temporary measure could only be put in place by mid-October at a cost of £370,000 and the full restoration of Mercury Bridge is due to be completed in December.

Mr Moore said: "I do not believe that providing a Bailey bridge would be an appropriate use of public funds, but I want to assure the association - and everyone in the Richmond area - that everything is being done to restore traffic to the top of the existing bridge as soon as possible and to complete the reconstruction."

Business association chairman Mike Nicholls said: "We are disappointed and only hope that Mr Moore's faith in his contractors achieving their target is justified, or we will be looking again at talking about a temporary bridge in September."

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