'Mixed emotions' as tram bridge demolition begins

Campaigner Glenn Cookson said it was "great that the bridge will live on in a new form"

A campaigner who led calls for a 220-year-old tram bridge to be replaced and reopened said he had "mixed emotions" as work to demolish it started.

Glenn Cookson, chair of the Friends of the Old Tramroad Bridge in Preston, was speaking after visiting the site of the historic bridge to see the work begin.

The bridge was closed five years ago over fears it could collapse.

"It is sad as we start to see the current bridge, as we know it, start to go – but everything comes to an end and it’s great that the bridge will live on in a new form," said Mr Cookson.

A computer generated image shows that the new Old Tram Bridge will look like

Mr Cookson said he thought the new bridge was "really sympathetic to the structure and history" of its predecessors, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

"It will also encompass modern-day engineering and technology, which means it’s going to have a really long life expectancy – and so will leave a legacy for future generations," he added.

He said the main frustration of the campaign group was that it could no longer use the bridge, but that there would be "thousands of happy people once it’s reopened".

Demolition work began on Tuesday and is expected to take several weeks, ahead of construction of the new structure.

The city landmark, which connects Avenham Park in Preston with Penwortham in South Ribble, has had several incarnations over the years.

Packhorse 'trams'

While the concrete deck of the structure now being demolished was only introduced in the mid-1960s, the trestle-style supports in the river were installed back in 1936, following damage caused by flooding.

As the feature that gives the bridge its distinctive look, they ensure that the current long-distance appearance of the bridge is the only one known by almost every living generation of Prestonians.

The bridge started out carrying packhorse ‘trams’ between the Leeds-Liverpool Canal at Walton Summit and the Lancaster Canal in Preston.

The new bridge is due to be in place either in December 2025 or early 2026, with the specialist kit needed set to occupy an area the size of two football pitches on the South Ribble side of the river.

Preston City Council’s cabinet member for community wealth building, Valerie Wise, said this was "an important step in delivering a new bridge that will serve the community for decades to come and restore this key transport link for people between Preston and South Ribble".