Highways bosses have TURNED DOWN an offer of cash aimed at speeding up the completion of roadworks on St Peter's Bridge in Burton because they say it would not help with what is a complex job.

The closure of St Peter’s Bridge has caused outrage in the town among motorists and traders alike, who have been faced with long tailbacks and a down-turn in trade as shoppers stay away from the town.

Today, Wednesday, September 27, East Staffordshire Borough Council offered to give cash to Staffordshire County Council, which is carrying out the £6.1 million work, in a bid to speed up repairs and get the main route in and out of town opened sooner.

But the county council has turned down the cash offer, because it says it would not speed up the work as staff are going as quickly as possible on what is a complex engineering job. It added that 24-hour working was not feasible given the nature of the work being done. A spokesman for the authority did say some additional work would be carried on Sundays though.

The bridge closed on Tuesday, August 29, and is not due to open until the end of November. Firms, including town centre traders and taxis companies, say customers are just staying away because they are fed up with the tailbacks caused by the closure.

Also this week Burton’s MP Andrew Griffiths has held crisis talks with the county council after admitting that the impact the closure was having on residents and businesses is "extremely serious".

The county council has said this week that it is not costs or man hours which have dictated the length of the closure, but the minimum timescale needed to deliver what it says is a highly complex engineering project.

The bridge is closed while rusted bearings are replaced. If this does not happened, then a weight limit would have to be introduced on the bridge.

After it said money would not help, the county council is now considering organising a business festival to promote local trade to mark the bridge reopening.

Andrew Griffiths, second from right, with Staffordshire County Council chief executive John Henderson

The borough council had offered an unspecified amount of money to help speed up the works in a bid to ensure a successful Christmas trading period in Burton.

A spokesman for the borough council said earlier today: "The borough council is responding to the ongoing issues surrounding the St Peter’s Bridge closure which remains of deep concern to our residents and businesses."

He said the borough council had asked the county council if it would consider a cash injection to 'speed up' the works so that they could be finished earlier in November - 'before the Christmas period begins in earnest'.

However, when the offer was put to the county council by the Burton Mail, the cabinet member responsible for highways and transport Mark Deaville said: "This is a £6.1m scheme and it is not costs or man hours which have dictated the length of the closure, but the minimum timescale needed to deliver what is a highly complex engineering project.

"Crews are available to work from 7.30am to 10.30pm Monday through to Saturday when necessary. Additional work is being planned for Sundays where required as the project progresses.

"Restrictions such as movement of plant machinery on the bridge, noise, the need to have trained specialist crews, removal of waste and time required for materials to set before starting further works means 24-hour working is not feasible.

"This is not a general road repair project – it is a major structural repair and renovation which supports one of Burton’s major routes. It is vital for the town’s future prosperity and doing nothing was not an option. Once the excavation and waterproofing stages have been completed more night-time and Sunday working will become possible."

Drivers from New Street Taxi's say trade is plummeting due to the closure of St Peter's Bridge

It comes after Tory MP Mr Griffiths held crisis talks with Staffordshire County Council chief executive John Henderson on the bridge. There they spoke to contractors Amey which is working on the site.

Mr Griffiths said after the meeting: "While I recognise the repairs to St Peter’s Bridge are urgent and vital, the impact that the work is having on local residents and businesses is extremely serious.

"I am pleased that as of next week a second gang will be working on the bridge, which will increase to a third gang the following week. We need to do all we can to get the repair work done as soon as possible, but also see what more can be done to help the town centre businesses affected.

"I am grateful to John Henderson for meeting me so quickly to discuss all the options available to limit the impact. We must do all we can to get this work done as quickly and as painlessly as possible, and I am looking forward to the county council coming forward with further solutions."

Parking on Lichfield Street, opposite Burton and south Derbyshire College is going to be free parking all day, until such time as the bridge repairs have been completed
Shoppers can park for free all day at certain locations until the bridge re-opens

Among the options discussed at the crisis talks were increasing the amount of hours worked, extra shifts at the weekend, the possible re-routing of roads to reduce congestion and also financial support for businesses.

Mr Griffiths added: "I know the county council have already made some parking in the town centre free. We need to send out the message that Burton’s pubs, shops and restaurants are open for business, and encourage people to support them in this period."

Councillor Deaville said: "Good progress is being made on the St Peter’s Bridge works and they are scheduled to be completed on time by the end of November, if not sooner.

"Our chief executive John Henderson and I have both visited the site in recent days and we will be organising another once the next major phase of the bridge works begins.

"Having met the workforce on site and discussed our strategy for timely completion, I am grateful and highly supportive of the work that our team is doing. This project is massively important to me as cabinet member and I will continue to work closely with our team on a hands-on basis."

St Peter's Bridge - During changeover
St Peter's Bridge - During changeover

As well as already having introduced free on-street parking during the bridge work, the borough council also wants to hold a business festival to promote local trade which has suffered due to the closure.

Councillor Deaville said: "This week, at the request of local businesses, we introduced free on-street parking on our bays in Lichfield Street and Manor Croft.

"We're continuing to work with bus operators to minimise disruption and with East Staffordshire Borough Council's support would like to hold a business festival to promote local trade to mark the reopening of St Peter's Bridge."