WHAT do you do when your bridge turns up and you find it hasn't been painted properly?

You send it back to get it painted all over again.

That's certainly what happened when a bridge was delivered to the A64 underpass site, near Copmanthorpe.

The 100-ton structure was meant to provide a crossing over the East Coast railway line for cyclists and pedestrians heading into York from the A64.

But the Highways Agency says that when the bridge was inspected, experts were unhappy with the quality of the painting and it was transported back to the factory, where it was stripped down and repainted.

It was then transported back and placed into position using a crane.

A spokeswoman said such structures had four or five layers of paint to protect them from corrosion and reduce the need for maintenance.

The quality of the paintwork was particularly important in such a location, where extra maintenance work could have an impact on trains running along the main railway line.

When the problem with the painting system had been detected earlier this year, it had therefore been important for the bridge to be repainted.

Meanwhile, a minor glitch has emerged on the resurfaced A64 westbound carriageway at Copmanthorpe. A small section of road on the inside lane has subsided. The spokeswoman said that the settlement was thought to have happened above a drain.

The problem had been monitored in recent weeks, and was not thought to be getting any worse. She said there would have to be night-time work to fill in the hole, but this would cause little inconvenience to motorists.

The underpass project hit last-minute problems, just as it was due to open this week. The Evening Press reported yesterday how a leaking gas main and buried asbestos had been discovered near the site. Specialist contractors brought in to remove the asbestos were still there today. Engineers hope that the underpass can open at the beginning of next week.

Updated: 10:48 Wednesday, October 02, 2002