Twin Sails Bridge is expected to reopen in December after being closed for nearly four months following abnormal creaking noises discovered during a routine inspection.
The bridge was lifted into an upright position on 26 August while engineers examined the lifting mechanism. This follows a separate closure last year when another fault kept the structure out of use for several weeks.
Earlier this year, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole councillors approved £6 million from the Community Infrastructure Levy to deliver long term improvements. This investment will focus on the lifting system and aims to reduce the repeated reliability issues that have affected journeys for residents and businesses.
Preparatory work has been under way since October while the council awaited specialist materials needed for the repair. Works are due to start on 15 December and are expected to take around a week.
Hamworthy Councillor Peter Cooper said the structure should reopen on 21 December subject to final tests confirming that all systems are functioning correctly.
BCP Council Chief Operations Officer Glynn Barton said teams had carried out as much advance work as possible and stressed the importance of delivering a reliable crossing that supports around 20,000 journeys each day.
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