the cost could run into millions of dollars, Works and Engineering Minister Alex Scott said yesterday.

The grim news came a day after East End boat operators warned their businesses were threatened if the route into Castle Harbour wasn't available.

Bridge to close guarantee that a winch that was installed to make sure the bridge could be closed would work.

He stressed: "The main concern of Government is to ensure individuals' safety.'' He added: "A decision needed to be made about whether to keep the bridge open to marine traffic and risk having it stuck open or start the major renovations outlined in a report carried out by Delcan International.'' Mr. Scott added it was hoped that work could have started in March but an engineering analysis and structural repair drawings done by Delcan took longer than anticipated. And there was a fear that unless properly secured, he continued, the bridge could "drop'' several inches from its locked position creating a hazard to traffic using the bridge, which had actually happened although the individuals involved escaped without injury.

It was reported in The Royal Gazette yesterday that East End businesses that relied on the Longbird Bridge were furious at the prospect of facing another season of closures and lost revenues. An evaluation carried out last year outlined the problems of the bridge, but a newer report showed that there were even more problems than anticipated.

Mr. Scott said all bids were received from companies competing for the repair contract, and the cost could run into the millions rather than hundreds of thousands of dollars.

He blamed the bridge's poor condition on the US Navy, which was responsible for the upkeep of the bridge but failed to do the work so the current Government was stuck with the problem. The bridge will be closed for the duration of the repairs, being opened at night for repairs that require it to be open, in order to cause the least disruption to commuters.

Mr. Scott added that although Government was having to shoulder all of the costs until the bridge was fixed, it was keeping a day-to-day cost record which would be forwarded to the British Government.