Manufacturing delays “outside” a council’s control could mean Poole’s Twin Sails Bridge remains closed for longer than expected while repair work is carried out.
The lifting bridge, which connects Poole with Hamworthy, has been shut since 26 August after engineers inspecting the mechanism found “abnormal creaking” noises.
Work on the bridge, scheduled to begin on Monday, had been anticipated to last about a week.
In an update, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council (BCP) said there had been a hold up in a “key process” in manufacturing the necessary components.
Glynn Barton, chief operations officer at BCP, said: “Work will begin on Twin Sails, as scheduled, on 15 December, with the team installing key components before Christmas.
“There has been a delay, outside of the council’s control, relating to a key process in the manufacturing of the components from our supplier.
“This process must happen to ensure the components meet the required safety standards needed to be installed.
“Our team will work continue to work throughout December to ensure the bridge can return to use as soon as possible.
“We will keep residents updated on these repairs as we go.”
In May last year, the bridge remained out of action for almost three months after another fault was identified during scheduled checks.
Earlier this year, BCP councillors approved £6m of funding from the Community Infrastructure Levy to deliver a long-term solution.
The investment will focus on improving the lifting mechanism and addressing recurring reliability problems that have disrupted journeys for residents and businesses.
