TONNES of steel arrived in Oxford yesterday as work on one of the city’s best-known bridges gathered steam.

Passersby watched as up to 30 tonnes of steel frame was delivered along the River Thames on a pontoon as part of work to repair Grade II-listed Folly Bridge.

Traffic management due to start tomorrow morning looks set to delay thousands of people’s journeys in and out of Oxford, with one of the lanes over the bridge being shut to allow work to take place.

Temporary traffic lights will be installed today.

The repairs will see engineers working on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council replace limestone bricks damaged by water penetration, some of which have been in place since the bridge was built in 1820.

Bus companies have warned several services will be disrupted and that some stops along Abingdon Road will be suspended.

Work to the bridge should be completed by October 20, ahead of the Westgate Centre’s reopening four days later.