A 'death trap' Leeds canal bridge that has been closed since the summer following a crash has seen its reopening delayed by four weeks after the contractors were sacked.
The bridge in Wyther Lane was forced to shut in March after a car smashed through its low wall - which has left residents fuming as traffic has piled up heading into Kirkstall.
Leeds City Council said last month that despite ‘unforeseen engineering issues’, the bridge was due to be reopened within weeks.
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And just last week they issued a statement saying the work, which included adding permanent traffic lights, would be finished by ‘early November’.
But Armley councillor Lou Cunningham took to Facebook on Saturday to announce that due to reasons ‘beyond our control’ and ‘serious failings’ the deadline had been missed.
The statement from the council read: “Unfortunately, due to reasons beyond our control, serious failings with contractor carrying out the works on Wyther Lane have occurred, meaning that the deadline for completing the works on the bridge (5th November) has been missed.
“As such the workforce on the Wyther Lane scheme have this week been dismissed and replaced with new resources, who will see the work through to completion, but we are afraid that works pertaining to the introduction of traffic signals on the Amen Corner bridge and the closure of Wyther Lane will unfortunately continue for another 4 weeks.
“We apologise for the continued inconvenience that this presents and thank everyone for their patience on the matter.”
The council are hoping the bridge will be reopened in four weeks - nearly nine months on from the date of the crash.
The closure has diverted traffic along Broad Lane, clogging up the narrow road with bumper-to-bumper traffic jams - with side streets and cut-throughs also clogged up in the chaos.
It has been described as a ‘death trap’ with residents demanding traffic lights to be installed to make the road safer.
Local resident Julie Linley, 55, said it’s been a ‘nightmare’ for months to get into Kirkstall ’s centre.
The grandmother-of-two said: “The closure has affected me because it’s now impossible to get into Kirkstall without having to go through traffic.
“Even taxis are now more expensive than they used to be to get home because they have to go right around.
“It’s just a bit of a nightmare to get to the shops.
“And sometimes I can’t even get food, it’s shocking it’s taken so long to fix.”
Following the crash in March, a petition was backed by hundreds demanding Leeds City Council make the bridge safer, saying it was dangerous for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
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