TWO iconic bridges in Poole are set to see a £6 million investment to ensure they stand the test of time.

These bridges are vital to daily commutes in Poole, with 10,000 journeys recorded across both bridges each day.

Money is set to be spent to increase the life of crucial components and help to reduce the need for unplanned repairs in the future.

At Poole Bridge, work will take place to address corrosion with repairs to be made to the corroded steel and the entire structure will be repainted to help protect it further.

Twin Sails will see changes to the design of the mechanism that lifts the bridges following repeated maintenance over the years.

The investment for the Poole Bridge and Twin Sails has been recommended by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council’s (BCP) cabinet.

Four new digital information panels will be installed at both bridges to replace the electro-mechanical signs that have reached their end of life.

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Both bridges are expected to be upgraded over the next three years, but procurement of specialist input and design processes needs to take place before engineers can get to work.

Councillor Andy Hadley, portfolio holder for climate response, environment and energy at BCP Council, said: “I am pleased that we’ve been able to set out a clear pathway for future improvements to both bridges to Hamworthy and the Port of Poole.

“Earlier in the year we established reliability upgrades to Twin Sails and Poole Bridge as one of the Council’s key priorities for strategic spending.

“These recommendations demonstrate our commitment to the thousands of people who use the bridges on a daily basis – whether motorists, pedestrians, wheelers, by bus or on the water.”

The £6 improvement plan will be funded from the Community Infrastructure Levy – a capital pot that developers pay into – meaning it will not be funded by council tax.

A final decision on whether to approve the plan will be taken at the Full Council meeting next Tuesday (July 22).