Motorists have been warned that one lane on Burton Bridge will be closed at nights this week ahead of nearly three months of work on the major route into the town.
Staffordshire County Council closed one of the lanes on the bridge on Monday, April 30 and last night, Tuesday, May 1.
It will also be closed tonight and tomorrow from 7.30pm to 3am. The roadworks have seen temporary traffic lights on the bridge.
The work is ahead of major improvements to the route, which will take 11 weeks, and is due to start on Monday, June 18. This will see three out of the four lanes on the bridge closed while work is carried out.
Motorists reported there were up to ten-minute delays on Monday and last night due to the closure.
This week's night time investigatory work will finish tomorrow, Thursday, May 3, and the road will be reopened through the night as normal.
Next week preliminary strengthening work will start on Burton Bridge ahead of a major improvement scheme planned for later in the summer. This will have no effect on traffic as the majority of the work will be carried out underneath the bridge and will begin on Tuesday, May 8.
However, the footpath and cycleway that runs under the first span of the bridge will be diverted during the works. This phase of the scheme is expected to take around 12 weeks to complete with resurfacing and upgrading of gullies starting in June.
The work is part of a £6.1 million refurbishment scheme to improve this bridge and St Peter's Bridge - the other main route in and out of town. The work to St Peter's Bridge was carried out last year.
It lasted 11 weeks, finishing in November ahead of schedule. It caused major issues for the town's traders, with shoppers staying away due to long delays on the town's roads.
Mark Deaville, the county council's cabinet member responsible for highways, said: "This is an important investment in the gateways to Burton and will help make a real difference to the long-term prosperity of people in the town.
"These are vital improvement works which mean the bridges will be free of unplanned and disruptive maintenance work in the future.
"This strengthening work on Burton Bridge, ahead of the bigger scheme in the summer, is all being done beneath the bridge so traffic will not be affected and all lanes will remain open as normal."
The work was originally planned to be carried out immediately after St Peter's Bridge reopened but fed up residents and business owners made their voices heard and the council decided to delayed until June this year to coincide with the school summer holidays when there is less traffic on the roads.
The funding for the project comes from the Department for Transport's multi-million pound Highway Challenge Fund.
Why did St Peter's Bridge close in 2017?
Urgent repair work to replace rusted bearings was completed on St Peter's Bridge last year, which meant that on Tuesday, August 29, 2017, it closed to motorists.
The work was needed to ensure that a weight restriction did not have to be imposed, which would have stopped heavy goods vehicles using the bridge.
Waterproofing and resurfacing also took place during the work.
The repairs to the bridge were due to be completed by the end of November, however the project was finished three weeks early and re-opened to road users on Friday, November 10, much to traders' relief.
At the time, a spokesman from Staffordshire County Council said that the project team had worked hard to bring the reopening forward.
These repairs were part of a £6.1 million project to refurbish both St Peter's Bridge and Burton Bridge, known as the main two gateways for the town.
The closures caused traffic jams and mayhem for motorists and traders, with many claiming that shoppers were being kept away to avoid tailbacks. Taxi firms and small businesses told how they were on their knees as shoppers blanked the town while the roadworks went ahead.
