Much-delayed works around the A46 Stoneleigh Junction are at least £4,673,000 over budget, council papers have revealed.

While Warwickshire County Council has remained tight-lipped on the costs or completion date for the major infrastructure project, the report paints a damning picture of the scheme which is now more than two years behind schedule.

Originally due to be completed in August 2022, the scheme will eventually see a new bridge, roundabout and slip roads built at the junction.

The new bridge deck was installed in January 2023, but remains unconnected with the council repeatedly blaming supply issues on the delays.

Speaking at yesterday's (September 5) cabinet meeting, town and district councillor Richard Dickson asked his county colleagues for an update on the "bridge to nowhere" and the project in general.

"In January 2023, the current bridge across the A46 was installed. But it was not connected to the rest of the junction," he said. 

"Today the bridge remains unconnected. It is a bridge to nowhere. 

"It is seen by thousands of drivers in Warwickshire every day. It is an icon of project mismanagement. 

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"It is, some would say, a symbol of the disconnectedness in Warwickshire; economic, social, political, even spiritual disconnectedness in our county. 

"It is hard for people to believe that everything is okay in Warwickshire, to trust in its leadership, when they see with their own eyes every day at this bridge that it is not."

And with the project - originally budgeted at £38 million - continuing to be hit by delays, Cllr Dickson asked for a breakdown of the costs, whether the price will continue to rise, how likely it is the junction will be finished by December 2024 and whether the council will learn any lessons from the scheme.

In response, Cllr Peter Butlin said: "You are quite right in some respects; there are some problems with that bridge and the completion of it. 

"But it is clearly quite a lot for a verbal response with any amount of detail. 

"So I am asking for a detailed response to every part of your question."