Bridge protesters bring in engineer to aid fight

Debbie Hills is campaigning against a footbridge closure

Campaigners trying to save a city footbridge slated for demolition have commissioned an engineer to argue for its repair instead.

Leazes footbridge in Durham, which crosses the A690, was closed in July 2023 due to safety concerns.

But protesters have argued Durham County Council's assessment was based on "flawed technical advice".

The council said it remained "confident" in its original finding.

The bridge was closed by the council in July 2023 and in February it was announced it would be demolished.

The structure provided access from Claypath to the city centre and the riverside.

The local authority said it had commissioned multiple surveys which confirmed the bridge was beyond "economical repair".

It would be replaced by a new pedestrian crossing at the existing traffic lights at Gilesgate roundabout, the council said.

'Theoretically possible'

Debbie Hills, who lives near the bridge, set up an online petition in February calling for the bridge to be saved.

In the months since, Ms Hills has used a Freedom of Information request to obtain the council's report into the footbridge and commissioned an independent engineer to assess publicly available data about the bridge, as well as the council's report.

The independent engineer alleged the council's consultants had made a mistake in their calculations and determined the bridge to be weaker than it actually was.

This meant less strengthening work would be required so repairing the bridge would not be as expensive as the council estimated, the engineer suggested.

Leazes footbridge will be replaced by a new pedestrian crossing

Durham County Council's strategic highways manager Paul Anderson said officers discussed those comments with its consultants and that they remained "confident" in their views about the bridge.

He said that while it would be "theoretically possible" to carry out repairs on it, the "costs would be high and they would only provide a short-term solution".

The bridge also does not comply with modern standards for accessibility due to stepped ramps, he said.

The council said the bridge is due to be demolished in the summer.