Britain's Millennium projects have been dogged by problems. The giant Ferris wheel in London has yet to spin. Early visitors to the Dome found themselves part of its unofficial homage to the great English queue. And now York's Millennium Bridge has hit a major obstacle.

What links all three schemes is their ambition. These are impressive, costly monuments to the new epoch. York's £4.2 million bridge will also be a practical asset to the city. News that its opening has been delayed therefore comes as a big blow. The city has been looking forward to seeing the bridge from the moment the idea was proposed more than two years ago.

That sense of anticipation was heightened when it became clear that York was not to host any special festivities on New Year's Eve. The bridge has become the focal point of our millennial celebrations.

Originally it was due to open this spring. But this proved to be over-ambitious; instead, it was hoped to complete it by June - still in time for most of summer.

Now, however, the bridge is likely to open in "late summer". This is very unfortunate. It is too late for the Queen's visit to York. It is too late for the country's biggest ever cycle rally, which was to have included a symbolic ride over the bridge. It is too late for most tourists.

A delay caused by flooding is understandable. But the problem here is man-made: a contractual wrangle. Water-tight contracts for a scheme of this significance should have been signed months ago.

That they were not raises serious questions about the entire project. A large amount of our money is paying for the bridge: half the cost is met by lottery funds and £1.1 million comes from City of York Council. So we deserve to know from the Trust whether this is an isolated blunder or if the whole scheme is in trouble.

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