Weymouth: Repairs to shut town's lifting bridge for 10 weeks

The bridge will close to traffic from 25 September until the end of November

Repairs to a seaside town's lifting bridge will see it shut for 10 weeks.

Weymouth Town Bridge needs to have welds that attach the steel deck plates under the road surface to its beams replaced.

Dorset Council said the work was needed to stop water soaking through the deck damaging the 93-year-old bridge.

The work is due to start on 25 September and is expected to finish on 30 November.

A signed diversion will be in place for traffic. Pedestrians will be able to cross on one side of the bridge during the works.

The bridge has over 2,700 welds attaching the steel deck plates to the bridge beams

During the work, the bridge, which normally lifts every two hours, will open for boats as normal at weekends and at 08:00 and 18:00 during the week plus a single leaf lift at midday.

The council said tents will be put up over the areas of the bridge being worked on so the repairs can continue during wet weather.

It said the work was being carried out on one half of the bridge - 267 welds were replaced on the other half last year.

The work will also see the deck of the bridge resurfaced.