Bus station concrete fell two weeks before closure

More details have emerged about what led to the closure of the Bradford Interchange bus station

Bradford's bus station remained open for nearly two weeks after some concrete collapsed, councillors have been told.

The station was closed by West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) on 4 January due to safety concerns.

A meeting heard that a piece of concrete measuring 8in by 20in (20cm by 50cm) fell into its underground car park 13 days before.

Simon Warburton, WYCA's transport director, said public safety was the authority's "top priority".

Details of when the concrete collapse happened were revealed by Bradford Council's leader Susan Hinchcliffe at a council meeting on Tuesday.

She said a section of concrete fell into the car park underneath the interchange on 22 December, at which point WYCA closed the car park for safety reasons

She said further inspections then took place and a "decision was made on January 4 that as well as the closure of the car park the whole bus interchange should be closed as well".

Surveyors will assess the damage to the station, but councillors were told that the current RAAC concrete crisis had led to a delay in finding surveyors able to carry out the work.

'Exasperated'

Ms Hinchcliffe said she had asked whether the interchange had RAAC concrete and had "been advised that it does not".

During the meeting, representatives of all political parties heavily criticised WYCA for the lack of communication around the issue, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Ms Hinchcliffe said the bus station's closure was "hugely inconvenient for residents and bus operators at a time when the city of Bradford is in the middle of the biggest regeneration programme the city has seen in decades".

Makeshift bus stops have been set up at the city's Jacobs Well car park

Work which had been under way to improve the bus station had been halted, she said.

Conservative leader Rebecca Poulsen said she had been "left exasperated trying to get any information from WYCA".

She said: "It is not good enough when this is having a huge impact on our district.”

'Water infiltrating building'

After the meeting, Mr Warburton said: “Contractors are continuing their assessment of the damage at Bradford Interchange bus station after some concrete fell into the basement of the bus station.

“Extreme weather over the last few months is believed to have exacerbated ongoing issues with water infiltrating the building and creating damage.

“Public safety remains our top priority and we will not open the bus station until it is safe to do so.

“It would be irresponsible to speculate further until we have the full results of the surveys that are under way onsite."

He said WYCA would "provide more information when we can".