Second phase of work on closed city bridge

Sulcoates Bridge before it was closed to traffic in 2020

A second phase of work is to be carried out on a bridge that has been closed to traffic since March 2020.

Grade II-listed Sulcoates Bridge in Hull shut after an inspection found it was unsafe for vehicles to use and was at risk of collapse.

Hull City Council said it had appointed a firm of local engineers to draw up a technical plan to restore the structure after an assessment was made about what work was required.

Councillor Daren Hale, the leader of the Labour opposition group, welcomed the survey, but said there should be "guarantees that it must lead to an urgent plan to repair the bridge".

Opened in 1872, the bridge, also known as Chapman Street Bridge, is the oldest of the city's 14 river crossings.

Councillor Mark Ieronimo, portfolio holder for transport and infrastructure, said: "Our transport infrastructure is vital, and we are committed to bringing Chapman Street Bridge back into use to help ease traffic across the city.

"Residents want this, we've listened, and we're working to make it happen. It's part of our wider commitment to fixing the city's infrastructure."

No date has yet been set for the bridge to reopen. The work is part of a £7m project restoration project.

Hale said the repairs should have happened years ago.

"It is too little too late, with plans still at a snail-pace, with no firm commitment or timescales to repair it," he added.

"We have lost four years – this bridge should be repaired and open by now."

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