Transporter Bridge: Council considers stopping vehicle crossing

The Transporter Bridge opened in 1911 and uses a gondola to carry vehicles across the Tees

Vehicles could be stopped from using the Tees Transporter Bridge after an audit found years of "ineffective management" led to its deterioration.

The iconic crossing, which opened in 1911, has been closed for 16 months due to serious safety concerns.

An internal audit found Middlesbrough Council needed to hold more regular inspections and there was a lack of qualified maintenance staff.

The council's executive will consider approving £655,000 for urgent repairs.

A council spokesman said the bridge is "unusable for any purpose" in its current state and the authority has already committed £377,000 to make the bridge safe, park the gondola and carry out inspections.

A report for the executive, which meets on 22 December, said the cost to keep the Grade II-listed open as a visitor attraction would be about £4m over 10 years, but to reopen for traffic would cost £7m across the same period.

The bridge famously featured in the TV series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet

Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston said: "The Transporter Bridge is part of who we are and we will always preserve and protect this special part of Teesside.

"Exactly what role it will play for the next 100 years is a decision we should all consider together."

The bridge was closed in August 2019 after a safety inspection, with the previous such check carried out in 2011.

Safety inspections should be carried out every six months, the council said, with an internal audit prompted by a whistleblower finding "cause for considerable concern".

The audit, which will be presented to councillors on 17 December, identified a "mostly passive and ineffective" management approach to the bridge over the previous decade,

It found a lack of "specifically qualified or trained engineering staff" ultimately led to the bridge deteriorating to the extent it presented a health and safety risk.

There have been improvements since the bridge's management transferred from the Transport and Infrastructure department to Property and Commercial Services.