THE £19 MILLION bearing replacement programme on the Tay Road Bridge is likely to be completed a month later than originally intended, it was confirmed yesterday.

Ken Laing, engineer to the joint bridge board that has responsibility for maintenance, said there had been some delays, but the contractor had rescheduled the programme to ensure completion by November 25.

Work to replace the 700 bearings which lie on top of the bridge’s 42 columns, and on which the road surface rests, got under way in August 2005, with the original completion date scheduled for October this year.

Mr Laing told a meeting of the board that almost 70% of the work had been completed by last month.

Weather dependent painting work to the box girders might have to be extended into 2008. Mr Laing said that if any extension beyond the November date was required, traffic management would continue as it is at present.

The hold-up which delayed the maintenance work involved technical problems associated with concreting to the top section of one of the columns.

Cleveland Bridge (UK) Ltd is carrying out the work and providing a “highly professional and managed service,” he said.