City bridge closure delayed as works overrun

The closure of a key bridge in York for "urgent" repair work has been delayed due to over-running works in the city centre.

Lendal Bridge, which links Station Road and Museum Street across the River Ouse, was due to shut to vehicles for eight weeks from April.

However, City of York Council has announced the work is now expected to take place in 2027, because of "unavoidable delays" to upgrades outside the railway station.

Kate Ravilious, executive member for transport, said: "In order to keep the city moving we need to avoid the Station Gateway and Lendal Bridge schemes overlapping."

She said the authority would ensure Lendal Bridge remained safe for motorists and pedestrians "through ongoing inspections" until the works take place.

The Station Gateway scheme has been delayed by a number of months because of "unanticipated additional works", the authority said in a statement.

They included rerouting electrical supplies and filling in an underground Victorian water tank.

Ravilious said delaying the Station Gateway project further, to allow for the Lendal Bridge repairs to take place, would cause "substantial additional costs" for the city.

"As a result, the Lendal Bridge works will be rescheduled and our expectation is that they will now happen in 2027," she said.

The council said the precise timing of the closure would be subject to the calendar of other work in the city centre, to minimise disruption.

It added that a further update detailing the timing of the rescheduled works would be shared when it had been confirmed.

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