October 31, 2013 9.37 am This story is over 125 months old

Extra bracing pushes back Hartsholme Park bridge reopening

Slight delay: Extra support needed on the stanchions means White Bridge will stay closed a little longer.

Work to reopen White Bridge in Lincoln’s Hartsholme Park has been pushed back slightly after divers found the stanchions to need more bracing.

This means that despite the bridge nearing completion, the bridge will remain not suitable for public use until later this year.

White Bridge was initially closed in July 2012, when checked confirmed the walkway was unfit for public use.

The timber deck and upper steel work had to be completely removed, but the supporting stanchions were still in good shape.

The City of Lincoln Council put aside around £65,050 for the new bridge, with £35,000 coming from existing corporate property budgets and £30,050 from the council’s capital contingency fund.

Work began on the new bridge in the summer, with the timber frame being built and completed off-site by Lincoln-based firm John Martin Hoyes Ltd.

Finally, divers were called in to do a final check on the remaining structure before the new bridge was added.

This lead to extra bracing needing to be added to the stanchions, which pushed the reopening time back slightly.

Jaclyn Gibson, the City of Lincoln Council’s Assistant Director for Business Development and Finance said: “The construction of the new bridge for Hartsholme Country Park is now complete.

“However, prior to installation we have conducted a final safety inspection of the load-bearing stanchions.

“This has identified that extra bracing is required. We are now finalising the timescales for this work to take place, but fully expect to have the bridge on site by December.

“We appreciate that the delay to the bridge’s installation is inconvenient but the safety of park users is paramount.”