Council chiefs have approved the installation of a temporary crossing to reconnect a community in the North York Moors, which was divided following the sudden closure of a suspension footbridge.
North Yorkshire Council has awarded a contract worth an estimated £88,000 for a temporary footbridge at Grosmont.
The council announced last week that the village’s suspension footbridge had closed after an inspection revealed structural issues on the underside of the bridge.
Whitby-based Wilf Noble Construction Ltd will install the crossing over the Murk Esk while longer-term solutions are explored.
Initial costs are expected to be around £88,000 over a two-year hire period, although the council said final costs remained uncertain.
North Yorkshire Council’s corporate director of environment, Karl Battersby, said: “Officers have been working on options to install a temporary footbridge, and contractors have now been appointed.
Grosmont footbridge
“Work on the bridge is expected to start on Thursday, May 28, lasting for about three days.
“We appreciate the impact that the closure is having on the community, and we will keep the public updated as we work on a permanent repair scheme.”
Councillor Clive Pearson, who represents the Esk Valley and Coast division, said he was not surprised when he was told the bridge had been closed.
“The last time I walked over it was the day before I closed. I thought at the time ‘this isn’t very good’.”
He added: “The temporary bridge would be downstream a few hundred yards away as that’s the only way they can actually do it at the moment, unfortunately, until we can get the bridge repaired.
“I don’t know how much repairing the bridge needs, but they’re talking about six months, so there must be quite a bit of work needed. I understand it’s the foundations that have slipped.
“If they can get the temporary bridge in quickly, it will help the village dramatically.”
Council documents show that an alternative option involving the purchase and installation of a permanent 20-metre kit footbridge was considered.
While officers concluded that option could have been cheaper over a two-to-three-year period, it was ultimately rejected because manufacturing and delivery would have taken between four and five weeks.
The report also highlighted “significant logistical challenges” linked to transporting and installing a bridge of that size at the site.
The suspension bridge connects a number of properties to the south of the river, including a tea shop and church, to the rest of the small community.
