PLANS are being drawn up for a long-awaited project to strengthen Whorlton suspension bridge, but council chiefs say the work won't be completed until 2022.
Durham County Council said only then would it review the future use of Whorlton bridge, which was closed to vehicles in 2019 and to pedestrians last month.
Officers also say any scheme to build an alternative bridge between Whorlton and Wycliffe for pedestrians is “highly unlikely”.
Teesdale's MP, Dehenna Davison, has been pressing for the bridge to be repaired since she was elected. Ms Davision held a Zoom meeting with Alan Patrickson,
corporate director of neighbourhoods at Durham County Council, to discuss the bridge last week.
Ms Davison said: “Firstly, the project team from the Witton Park Bridge have been transferred to the Whorlton Bridge project, bringing their substantial expertise of historic bridges.
“The first work to be completed will be the removal of the vertical hangers to test them for their load bearing capabilities. In order to do this, the bridge will need to be temporarily supported from below. Given the historic nature of Whorlton Bridge, all such works will need to be approved by Historic England.
“Durham County Council are working at pace to draw up the required documents to put the above out to tender. Thankfully, the lockdown will have no impact on this specific work, and it is hoped that partners will be in place by March.” In December, the council closed the bridge, which opened in 1831, to all users after saying some parts of the structure were not even capable of supporting the weight of the bridge itself. A warning was sounded of a “catastrophic” collapse into the River Tees.
A Durham County Council spokesman said: “Because the bridge is a grade II-listed structure and a scheduled monument, we will need to work closely with Historic England and the Environment Agency while we develop testing proposals.
“The proposals will be non-destructive testing as well as dismantling parts of the structure so we can inspect hidden areas.
“We hope to submit our plans to Historic England by April 2021, and if approved, complete strengthening work by March 2022. Our goal is to make sure the bridge is stable, and we will review its potential future use at that point.”
Ms Davison said: “I know many people have raised concerns about the fact pedestrian access is no longer allowed on the bridge. I am reassured to hear that Durham County Council are currently exploring the option of temporary structures, which may allow pedestrian access whilst the repair works are underway. Of course, there will be cost implications but I will work closely with Durham County Council to explore all possible funding streams, and will continue to raise this issue in parliament.”
However,a report by the council said that although investigations on an alternative crossing were underway, a footbridge was “highly unlikely due to the surrounding landscape and the width of the crossing that would be needed”.
Durham County Council has agreed to attend a Zoom meeting with residents so they can ask any questions with a date to be set.
