Repairs were bridge too far for council

REPAIRS to a bridge in West Lothian cost £750,000 more than expected, it has emerged.

West Lothian Council said the Almond Valley Bridge, which carries the A899 over local roads and the River Almond, was in a worse state than expected when contractors began work last August.

The repair work cost £1.82 million rather than the projected £1.07m, and took almost twice as long as originally scheduled. Motorists experienced delays while the work was completed. Repairs were also carried out on the 300-metre bridge in 2007 and 2008.

Non-priority work could now be delayed as a result of the overspend.

A West Lothian Council spokesperson said: “The extent of repairs required to the bridge deck significantly increased due to the poor condition of the concrete discovered when work began. This meant a greater quantity of concrete had to be broken out and replaced.”