SHEFFIELD Council's top officer has apologised over how long it has taken to start repairing the section of Middlewood Road which collapsed during last year's Great Flood.
But John Mothersole, interim chief executive, said there are good reasons why the project has only just begun.
And he denied claims by a leading trade unionist that a decision to advertise across Europe for the £4 million contract to reconstruct the A6102 led to further delays.
Mr Mothersole said: "I'm sorry it's taken so long and for the impact this has had on the people of Sheffield. Time has been taken in the interest of value for money, so costs could be covered by the Government and that we get a permanent solution.
"Reconstruction of Middlewood Road is complex due to its location on an embankment next to a main river. It needs very detailed design work from an expert to ensure the new road lasts for the future."
New Sheffield Council Liberal Democrat leader Coun Paul Scriven has promised one of the authority's scrutiny committees will hold a public investigation into the delay.
It will consider whether anything could have been done to speed things up, and if any lessons should be learned for the future.
Coun Scriven said: "I'm frustrated with the time this has taken and this will be investigated in public through our scrutiny process. Let's now get on and get this project completed as fast as possible, so people's lives can get back to normal.
The A6102 Middlewood Road - the main route between Sheffield and Stocksbridge - has been closed both ways near The Middlewood Tavern ever since it partially collapsed on June 25 last year.
Motorists have faced lengthy diversions, adding up to 20 minutes to journeys and dramatically increasing traffic on minor roads through villages such as Worrall.
Building firm Carillion was appointed in April from a shortlist of six firms and preliminary work started on site on May 19.
Sheffield Trade Union Council chairman Bill Ronksley has claimed appointment of a contractor was "needlessly delayed due to the lengthy bureaucratic procedure requiring that the contract be advertised in all European Community countries".
Although the chosen firm is based in Wolverhampton, the council says it advertised across Europe not just because of procedure but to ensure value for money, due to "the limited number of engineering contractors capable of this specialised work".
Mr Mothersole said the advertising followed the council's 42-day deadline - used in all cases when outside contractors are hired - so did not take any longer than if the contract had only been publicised in Britain.
Reconstruction is more complex because services such as gas and water pipes have had to be removed from the road and the entire embankment must be rebuilt from scratch.
Solid foundations will have to be made deep into the ground using concrete piles to take the road's weight.
What do you think? Add your comment below.Relive the moment the rains came with your photos and videos from the timeDramatic video of woman's bid to cross the flooded WickerVideo footage as despair hits some of the area's worst flood victimsYour flooding pictures: Ulley Dam, Swinton, ChesterfieldMore photos sent in by readers immediately after the floodSee the pumps in action as South Yorkshire struggled to recoverRead more of our coverage from the first anniversary of the floodsOnly Sheffielders could laugh through this - VIDEONever again: South Yorks promised vital work Flooded out, looted twice ... and then came baby CharlieWhere will the planned defence schemes go?Staggering 577 calls to firefightersOwls winning repair battlePrince visit morale boostMain news indexLettersCheck out the very latest on South Yorkshire's roads - including live traffic cameras on Sheffield's commuter routes - with our Traffic sectionLatest sport.The full article contains 644 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
