THE reopening of a popular footpath across a bridge has been delayed again.
Northumbrian Water is carrying out work to renew a large, aged water pipe in the Deepdale Aqueduct and Lartington Lane area of Barnard Castle. The structure, known locally as the “Silver Bridge” was due to reopen in the autumn.
However, Northumbrian Water said during the final stages of the project, checks on a neighbouring pipe unearthed work that if not carried out now, would have been likely to have caused future disruption.
The project is now expected to be completed by the end of March but traffic management will be removed over the Christmas period and kept to a minimum.
This is the third long-term closure of the bridge in less than ten years.
Project manager Gary Cassells said: “We very much appreciate the patience and understanding of customers during the course of this work and apologise for the delays experienced.
“We believe that by dealing with this other pipe now, while we are already working alongside it, we will prevent the need to come back and carry out a separate new project in the future.
“The work on the second pipe, which is approximately 100 years old, is also requiring a redesign and change in method to complete the additional pipe, as well as the manufacture of some specialist fittings. While this is all adding time, it will help to safeguard the water supply for Teesdale.
“We are in a position to remove the traffic management around this work over the Christmas period, from December 21 to January 7 and will keep it at a minimum at other times.”
The bridge will stay closed.
![A COUNTY councillor is backing a campaign to get a pedestrian crossing in Staindrop. Frustrated parish councillors in the village summoned their county council representative Cllr George Richardson to their latest meeting to discuss several issues, including the call for a safe way to cross the A688. Earlier this year their request for a crossing was turned down by the county council’s highways officers. Parish council chairman Jonothan Raper described the reasons for the refusal as “spurious” and called on Cllr Richardson to support their campaign. He added: “One of the arguments they made was there is no clear line of desire when they studied the village – well this isn’t a clear line of desire because there isn’t a crossing, people cross whenever they can. “When the lollipop person was there, one of the things I noticed was people would walk all the way down to the lollipop person to cross the road to go to the shop or to go to the school.” He added a problem of parking at the primary school is exacerbated because people are too afraid to walk their children across the road. Cllr Richardson said he had supported previous attempts for a crossing point with the first being made about 15 years ago. He added: “We went fairly well down the road with that and they looked into it. The only recommended place was where the bus stop is and to get the visibility splays, people on the other side of the road would lose their parking. “That didn’t go down well so it just died a death.” Cllr Raper said he suspected the real reason for the officers’ refusal was the cost of installing a crossing. He added that much of the cost could be recovered from savings made on not having to employ a lollipop patrol. Cllr Raper said: “A lollipop person only provides a benefit of crossing for three hours of the day. You are getting 21 extra hours of crossing time [with a pedestrian crossing].” Cllr Richardson said he would raise the issue with the county council’s cabinet member for highways, Cllr John Shuttleworth.](https://teesdalemercury.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/georgeR-120x86.jpg)
