Brexit and the pandemic has been blamed for the soaring cost of a new pedestrian bridge in Glasgow.

Work will get underway in January to build a new crossing linking Partick and Govan, re-establishing a history connection between the two areas.

The cost of the bridge was originally tabled as £17.5million but has risen to £29.5million.

In February last year the BBC were reporting the cost as "around £10million".

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said all construction projects were facing substantial cost increases as a result of Brexit and the pandemic, which has led to steel prices doubling in the past six months.

He said the scope of the project had also increased and will require "very complex engineering".

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A significant proportion of the cost is said to be associated with the mechanical and electrical elements required to allow the swing bridge to open.

The council said the price had been tested through an open-market tender and benchmarked against the MediaCity Footbridge in Salford, said to similar in structure.

Farrans (Construction) Ltd will lead the project to create the pedestrian and cycle bridge over the River Clyde between Water Row in Govan and Pointhouse Quay in Partick.

The council said 10 contractors submitted bids, with the top five scoring of these invited to submit a tender.

Three did, with Farrans achieving the highest score on criteria which included price, quality, design, construction impact, quality control and fair work practices.

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Works are expected to begin on-site in January 2022, with project completion towards the end of 2023.

The new bridge is a Glasgow City Region City Deal project, with funding awarded by the Scottish and UK Government.

Project leaders say 143 construction jobs will be created including five new apprentices and a new graduate school mentoring work placement.

A council spokeswman said:"The reasons for the increase in cost include the well-documented price increases facing all construction projects at this time as a result of Brexit and the pandemic and an increased scope for the project.  

"This is a swing/opening bridge that will feature very complex engineering.

"The requirement to provide navigational clearance over a 50 metres navigational channel means that the main span of the bridge is approximately 70 metres long, making it one of the longest opening footbridges in the UK.   

"A significant proportion of the cost is associated with the mechanical and electrical elements required to allow the bridge to open.

"The contract also includes the cost of the extension of the quay wall at Pointhouse Quay which is needed to provide a landing point for the bridge on the north bank."

Final approval of the contract will be considered at the Glasgow City Region Cabinet on 7 December.