Weymouth Town Bridge repairs could be delayed due to bad weather.

The bridge has been closed to traffic since September when the second phase of repairs started, and despite work going better than last year's first phase, bad weather could impact the ongoing works.

The scheduled work is expected to finish on November 30, but Dorset Council admits that due to the repairs needing to be done whilst the weather is good, they could be delayed.  

READ: Weymouth town bridge to close for TWO MONTHS for major repairs

Kevin Davis, Dorset Council’s Highways Site Agent who is overseeing the work on Weymouth Town Bridge, said: “The removal of the surfacing and replacement of the defective welds has gone even better than last year, despite some unforeseen challenges.

“Our engineers discovered areas where sections of the deck plate needed cutting out and replacing, and the recent extreme weather has also slowed progress. Shot blasting the deck plates and applying the specialised surfacing needs good weather.

“If the weather is on our side in the coming weeks, the team is optimistic we can still reopen the bridge at the end of November. If there is a delay, we’ll let everyone know.”

The welds attach the steel deck plates under the road surface to the bridge beams and once inspected, the defective welds are being milled out and re-welded.

This will prevent water seeping through the deck to the beams which would otherwise cause damage and affect the operation of the bridge.