Barnsley: £9.7m Market Gate Bridge work to start

The pedestrian bridge, a permanent replacement for the Jumble Lane level crossing, is due to open in summer 2023

Work is set to begin on a new bridge in Barnsley, described as an "impressive addition" to the town's skyline.

The £9.7m Market Gate Bridge will stretch across the railway line in the town centre and link the transport interchange with Glass Works Square.

It will be a permanent replacement for the former Jumble Lane level crossing, which was closed in 2019 for safety reasons.

Barnsley Council said the bridge was due to be ready by late summer 2023.

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Tim Cheetham, cabinet spokesperson for regeneration and culture at Barnsley Council, said: "The bridge will be an iconic addition to our fantastic new town centre and the first thing people will see when arriving by bus or train.

"It will be an impressive addition to the skyline."

Dan Jarvis, Barnsley Central's Labour MP and Mayor of the South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority, said it would enable people "to swap the car for walking and cycling".

"Above all, it will mean a permanent link from the town centre to Oakwell on matchdays - which I know will be heartily welcomed by fans and Barnsley FC," he added.

The contract to construct the bridge was eventually awarded to Keltbray, after initial preferred contractor NMCN fell into administration within days of the contract being signed, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.