A BRIDGE being constructed on the Clyde could come in a full year late amid wranglings between contractors.

A BRIDGE being constructed on the Clyde could come in a full year late amid wranglings between contractors.

The Tradeston Bridge, at Glasgow city centre, was due to be in place by this October but has been delayed due to a dispute over the design specifications.

It is understood subcontractor Steel Engineering of Renfrew has refused on at least two occasions to begin fabrication work with the company having accused the main developer, Edmund Nuttall, of providing designs which were lacking in specific details.

Any delay beyond the original timescale will see the council lose up to £5million of European funding towards its construction.

As of yesterday, only a fraction of the steel for the project had been ordered, with the remaining 60% still between four and six weeks away from being requested.

A best-case scenario for delivery of the scheme, dubbed the Squiggly Bridge because of its sinuous double curved shape, is now early next year.

However, it is understood that one potential scenario could see the bridge delivered as late as autumn 2009 and that officials from Glasgow City Council, which is behind the project, were of the belief that it had been under construction in a warehouse further up the Clyde since last October.

Preparatory work on the southern bank quay walls, which consumes a sizeable percentage of the £33m cost of the scheme, has been running six months behind schedule after they collapsed last September. Edmund Nuttall is currently repairing the Clyde Arc, or "Squinty Bridge", less than a mile up-river.

The £25m bridge was shut less than 18 months after being completed by Nuttall after a support collapsed on to the carriageway.

When contacted about the latest hold-up Nuttall said it was all down to the quay walls issue. But minutes of meetings with the city council show the firm was invited to commence work on the north bank in February and again in March.

Nuttall moved on site yesterday afternoon but is understood to have intimated it wants an extension of several months.

Steel Engineering has another project in the pipeline and may have to take this job if the Nuttall design issue is not resolved by the end of April, kicking the completion date into late 2009. Steel Engineering was unavailable for comment last night.

A council source said: "We've found it hard to get a straight answer on what the problem has been. But Nuttall have been told since the start of the year they could move on site by February but then moved on site yesterday when the council began asking serious questions."

A Nuttall spokesman said: "There are ongoing discussions with the subcontractor as part of the pre-construction activities. We have now started on site and steel will be delivered by next month."