Closure of Whitby West Pier footbridge
A recent inspection of
the footbridge between the West Pier and the West Pier extension in
Whitby has highlighted health and safety concerns.
General bridge
inspection report (PDF, 818KB)
As a precautionary measure
in the interest of public safety, Scarborough Borough Council has
closed the bridge today to public access until further notice.
The structure is
significantly corroded and delaminated, which has resulted in a
major reduction in its structural capacity.
The fact that the footbridge
is in an extremely exposed and aggressive corrosive environment,
which is frequently subjected to high wind forces and wave action,
has meant its deterioration over the years has been extremely
difficult to prevent.
The council has undertaken
regular maintenance of the accessible parts of the bridge like the
decking and the handrails, but not the inaccessible underside areas
of the bridge.
The material used to build
the bridge, which the council believes took place some time between
50 and 98 years ago wouldn’t nowadays be recommended for bridge
construction, which adds even more weight to not repairing it but
replacing it at the end if its natural life with a new bridge made
of materials that are far more likely to stand up to the rigours of
the marine environment and can be more easily maintained.
The council will now be
liaising with Whitby Harbour Board and other stakeholders with a
view to replacing the bridge as soon as possible.
Brian Bennett, the council’s
Head of Tourism and Culture said: “When we receive this kind of
report, public safety is our number one priority and for that
reason, we have had no choice but to close the bridge.
"We fully understand that
this will impact on the enjoyment of both local people and visitors
and for that we offer our apologies.
“The footbridge is in such a
position that its lifespan has been severely affected by the
aggressive nature of the environment around it and the
inaccessibility in terms of maintenance.
"Even during the recent
inspection, our own engineers were only able to access the first
lower level of the pier and had to conduct the vast majority of
their visual inspection via a long lens camera to ensure they could
get an accurate assessment of the these parts of the structure.
“We are fully committed to
developing proposals for a fit for purpose replacement as soon as
we possibly can and as part of those plans we will be looking for
solutions that will provide a far more effective way of being able
to maintain all aspects of the bridge structure in the future.”