REPAIRS to a crumbling city bridge are due to begin this afternoon.
The Anlaby Road flyover carries some of Hull's heaviest traffic and the city council is becoming increasingly concerned concrete beneath it is falling away, leaving steelwork exposed.
The problem stems from water seeping into the bridge from the road above.
Now, a £2.5m partly Government-funded repair programme is beginning to shore it up.
Councillor Martin Mancey, portfolio holder for transport and highways, said: "It's a bit like repairing a house.
"There's no point in repairing the inside of a house unless it's got a waterproof roof.
"The first phase of work is to make sure it's watertight."
The Department for Transport is providing £1.8m to repair the bridge, with Hull City Council footing the rest of the bill.
It is hoped work now will prevent a much more complicated and disruptive job in the future.
Cllr Mancey said: "Carrying out these works now will prevent the need for more drastic work at a later date.
"If we didn't do these repairs in the relatively near future then, as with all big structures, when you get a certain amount of weakening you have to put in heavy load limits and things.
"The bulk of the work is to repair the concrete structure underneath."
The city council said two-way traffic would carry on flowing but there could be tailbacks at peak travel times.
The repairs will be followed by a project on the eastbound carriageway later this summer.
The council is holding off until Network Rail has finished work at the Spring Bank West Railway Bridge, which is being replaced at a cost of £3.7m.
The work follows the installation of a new bus lane running the full length of Spring Bank West's eastbound side, which has been causing misery for some commuters since it opened at the end of April.
A contraflow system will be used to keep Anlaby Road traffic moving in both directions.
At peak times, there may be slight disruption, the council said.
Some additional work to the road near Walton Street may take place in the evenings.
Cllr Mancey said he thought it was likely the roadworks would take less than six weeks.
There are contingency plans in place if tailbacks become a serious problem.
He said: "There may be some localised disruption to traffic.
"I've already agreed with officers that we'll have certain contingency plans to deal with problems if and when they arise.
"We will be suspending the bus lanes in Anlaby Road and, if we feel there's a need, we will suspend the bus lanes in Spring Bank West."
The first phase of work will include the planing out and resurfacing of the westbound carriageway, concrete testing and repairs to the bridge joints.
In a statement, the council apologised for any inconvenience the roadworks might cause for motorists.
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