Iconic bridge at risk of catastrophic collapse

Middlesbrough's Transporter Bridge spans the River Tees

Middlesbrough's historic Transporter Bridge is at risk of "catastrophic collapse", a report has warned.

The iconic structure has deteriorated to such an extent it now presents an immediate risk to the public, according to a structural assessment.

On Friday, the Tees Valley Combined Authority agreed a £1bn package of transport improvements that includes a multimillion-pound plan to restore the Transporter.

Middlesbrough Council said the condition of the bridge was being monitored.

The Grade II listed Transporter opened in 1911 and was one of only six operational transporters left in the world before it was closed in 2019 over safety concerns.

A whistleblower had raised concerns over the bridge being in a dangerous state, with concerns raised including out of date wheels, ropes and anchor points.

In 2018, there was a "near miss" when a support fell from the structure, landing beside a staff member.

The structural study, carried out in January by engineering and consulting firm Atkins, categorised the bridge as an "immediate risk structure" and recommended cordoning off an area around the bridge whenever winds were expected to exceed "acceptable limits".

The report said if the risk of collapse became "significant", an exclusion zone would need to be added around the structure, which would include shipping lanes beneath the bridge.

The bridge carried vehicles across the Tees on gondolas

Middlesbrough Council manages the bridge, which spans the River Tees, in an agreement with Stockton Council.

A spokesman for the authority told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that public safety was its "paramount concern".

He added: "We are not at a point where an exclusion zone is required, and anticipate all works will be carried out so that one won’t ever be necessary."

The report suggests it could cost £67m to bring the bridge back into use - more than double the amount set aside for the scheme under plans approved by the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) on Friday.

At a meeting of the TVCA cabinet, Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen said the authority would work with Middlesbrough Council to ensure the plans for the Transporter were "robust" and kept within the suggested "financial envelope".

He added: “It may be we need to come back and say: ‘Look the £30m envelope doesn’t work, here are the different options available.'”

He said they would then decide whether or not to take the project forward or seek additional funding.