September 3, 2012 11.35 am This story is over 138 months old

Dangerous Hartsholme bridge to be removed

Unsafe: The white bridge in Hartsholme Country Park will be removed fter constant trespassing following its closure last month.
The original White Bridge from 1902

The white bridge in Hartsholme Country Park will be removed in the week starting September 10 after constant trespassing following its closure.

The bridge was found to be unsafe for public use and was closed on July 3.

However, the City of Lincoln Council says it has seen numerous instances of people continuing to use the bridge, putting themselves at risk.

Consultants investigating the condition of the bridge on behalf of the council have found that the piles below the waterline supporting the existing structure are sound, but that the timber deck and upper steel work will have to be completely replaced.

Work is now taking place to design a suitable replacement.

Once the design stage is complete, the necessary funding will need to be found to complete the replacement of the bridge. This is expected to take a number of months due to the complexity of the site.

Caroline Pritchard, Community Services Manager at the City of Lincoln Council, said: “We’re pleased that the investigations into the condition of the bridge have found that the piles below the waterline are still safe, although obviously disappointed that we will have to replace the timber deck and upper steelwork.

“Due to the very poor condition of the bridge, we have taken the decision to remove the timber deck and upper steelwork entirely, while we work out a long term solution.

“We know that the bridge is a very popular route, but we must put public safety first and hope people will continue to be patient while we work to resolve the problem.”