Our local council decided we needed a second bridge between the main town and the suburb of Hamworthy, initially they decided a long high bridge bypassing much of the town would fit the bill, they spent a few £million on a design competition and consultants about 20 years ago, only for the government to say no you can't have it, all in the town agreed it would have been the ideal solution. They then argued and employed more consultants and another design competition, a few more £Million, we now have a second lifting bridge, the old one has worked fine for 87 years, opening and closing at set times each aday and closing to all traffic for a few days each November for annual maintenance.
The new bridge has been open for a year, within a few days of opening it had to close again as chunks of the road surface were falling off when it was raised and still fails frequently causing endless traffic congestion while drivers have to turn round and join the queue for the other bridge, the local paper makes a big splash every time this happens, and today reveal there are nearly 100 defects outstanding, ranging from minor problems with paint and rust to Hydraulic leaks, shock absorbers and software problems. The expansion gap allowance is such that it gives cyclists problems, must be like cycling along tram lines!
The councillor responsible for transport/highways etc is quoted as saying if she had bought something with as many defects she would return it as NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE or words to that effect.
The prices quoted for the bridge are between £M21.6 & £M37 but I wonder if that takes into account all the wasted consultations and competitions over the last 20 years.
The council are supposed to be responsible for repair and maintenance now it's been "officially open" for a year.
http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/02/68/19/2681999_f877027e.jpg
Some reports say it's the first of its kind, lets hope it's also the last