AN £8.5 MILLION project to repair the bus carriageway at Bradford Interchange could start as soon as next month.

The project to refurbish the surface used by buses to enter and exit the station was first proposed over two years ago.

The existing carriageways were said to be “deteriorating” and the work would include waterproofing and resurfacing large sections of the station.

It is made more difficult by the fact that the bus station surface lies above a car park and retail units - including a bingo hall.

Originally costed at £2m, a report late last year revealed the budget had spiralled to £8.5m.

Cost of repair works to Bradford Interchange rises from £2m to £8.5m

The project was discussed at a recent meeting of West Yorkshire Combined Authority's Bradford District sub committee.

A list of Bradford transport projects due to start this year said the resurfacing work would begin in May and last until October 2023.

The work will be carried out in phases.

Andrew Jewsbury, one of the public representatives who sits on the panel, said: "This seems to be the third or fourth time we've gone through weatherproofing this. Is something structurally wrong that we have to keep fixing it up?"

Dave Pearson, head of transport at the Combined Authority, said this would be a much more permanent project, referring to previous work on the carriageway as "patching."

He added: "The structure is sound, we've had structural engineers do a lot of work on this.

"It requires extensive work to repair, but it will give the Interchange a much longer life span.

"This will be the first of several projects at the Interchange - we have lots of ambitions, especially the approach to the Interchange from Hall Ings.

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"We'll also be moving the travel centre upstairs, there will be new retail units, and there will be a new link from the bus side to the rail side.

"It is a full programme of work that will very much refresh the Interchange."

He assured the committee that any changes to bus routes and services would be advertised well before the work starts."