The budget for maintaining the Renfrew Bridge is expected to exceed its projected cost by £105,000 for 2026/27, according to a budget monitoring report presented to Renfrewshire Council's Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board.
Originally, the yearly budget for maintaining the bridge was set at £1m, but operational and maintenance costs were ‘higher than originally forecast'.
First opened in May last year, the bridge was constructed by Graham and is the UK's first twinleaf cable-stayed swing bridge. It spans 184 metres across the River Clyde and is valued at £114m.
According to the report, overspending on the bridge is acting as ‘the principal cost pressure that currently sits within Infrastructure and Assets', which in total is projected to be £150,000 over budget across the board's services for 2026/27.
At a meeting on 26 August, council officer Gerard Hannah told the board that the higher costs were caused by things that ‘maybe we hadn't anticipated' when setting the budget, including software maintenance, as well as the ongoing requirements of operating a structure of its size.
He added: ‘To clarify, these are not repairs as such. This is more the on-going maintenance requirements of a structure of that size that is required for its on-going continuation.'
When approached by Highways, a Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: ‘The budget for operating and maintaining Renfrew Bridge was based on estimates made before the bridge opened. Now that the bridge is in regular use, we have a clearer understanding of the day-to-day costs involved, including software maintenance, operational support and other requirements needed to run and maintain a structure of this scale.
‘We regularly review our budgets and are working closely with colleagues across the Council to manage expenditure, identify savings where possible and make sure the bridge continues to operate safely and reliably for everyone who uses it.'
