Whorlton Bridge to reopen after 2,621 days

The wait is over.

Whorlton Bridge will formally reopen today following an £8.4m restoration.

The historic crossing over the River Tees will be the spectacular setting for a formal ceremony this morning including the cutting of a symbolic ribbon.

The event comes 2,621 days after the Grade II*-listed bridge was closed to traffic on July 23, 2019.

It was subsequently closed to pedestrians and cyclists on December 5, 2020 and has been out of action ever since.

The reason given was the possibility of a “catastrophic” collapse after tests revealed widespread structural faults.

The cash to play for the repair work was allotted from the government’s levelling up fund in 2021 but it wasn’t until September 2023 that a contractor, VolkerLaser, was commissioned by Durham County Council.

The repair work finally started in January 2024 and turned out to be a huge undertaking with the bridge being dismantled, all the damaged cast iron links and chains replaced and a new road deck installed.

Now the job’s done and residents in communities on both sides of the river can use the chain suspension bridge once again.

Cllr George Stastny, the chairman of Whorlton and Westwick Parish Council, made a point of praising former Bishop Auckland MP Dehenna Davison who played a key role in securing the first significant tranche of funding for the project.

“It’s been seven years but here in Whorlton we are delighted that the long wait is over and we can all enjoy crossing the bridge again on foot, on bikes or in our cars,” he told the Mercury.

“I’d like to pay tribute to everyone involved in the restoration, especially Dehenna Davison who secured the initial funding; the VolkerLaser employees who have toiled in all weathers for three year, and the team at Durham County Council.

“They have engineered a beautiful piece of engineering which will serve us all for many years to come.”

The bridge was built to enable coal to be transported south from the Durham coalfields, linking Staindrop with Greta Bridge.

It was formally opened on July 7,1831, and Barnard Castle Band entertained the crowd.

Today, with a nod to the original ceremony, Barney Band will once again play for the public.

Representatives from Durham County Council and VolkerLaser will be in attendance along with residents.