Bridge to stay shut after no takers for repair bid

Bullhouse Bridge in Barnsley carries the Trans Pennine Trail over the A628

A footbridge that has been closed for two years is to remain out of use because nobody has bid for a contract to repair it.

Barnsley Council had offered a tender for the work on Bullhouse Bridge, which carries the Trans Pennine Trail across the A628 at Millhouse Green, but received "no response" from contractors.

The council had been awarded £150,000 of government funding to give to a company willing to take on the job.

The prolonged closure has led residents to raise concerns that walkers, cyclists and horse riders "could get hurt" while crossing the road beneath.

An inspection in 2022 found that the bridge's wooden deck was unsafe.

A joint statement from Barnsley Council and managers of the trail confirmed that there had been "no response" to the recent tender process to undertake the works.

It added: “We have been discussing the work with council highways, but despite their best efforts as of 11 June, they cannot find space within the highways works programme to take on this project and achieve it this year.”

The contract was set to go back out to tender for eight weeks, and a temporary closure order was in place for the next 12 months, the statement said.

The footbridge has so far been closed for two years

Jon Johnson, who lives in Millhouse Green, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the A628 was a "pretty dangerous" road, which Trans Pennine Trail users had been forced to cross while the bridge was shut.

Although a temporary 40mph limit had been enforced on the stretch, Mr Johnson claimed drivers still travelled up and down the hill at speed.

“Nobody has been hurt yet, but it’s only a matter of time,” he said.

“There’s an awful lot of public anger. I appreciate the council is busy, but how are they going to explain it when someone’s relative gets squashed?

“They need to get on with it before someone gets hurt. We want to find a solution together.”

Councillor Hannah Kitching, who represents the Penistone West ward, said the situation had been "hugely frustrating".

Ms Kitching added that companies had not had enough time to submit a detailed tender within the council’s four-week deadline, and the new tender would be open for eight weeks to encourage contractors to bid.

“It’s deeply frustrating. We’ve not taken our foot off the pedal with this. We keep thinking we’ve cracked it," she said.

“After good news at the start of the year with adequate funding finally secured, we had hoped work would be starting imminently.

“However, Barnsley Council received no responses to the recent tender process for the works.”

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