The 30m-long and 5m-wide new footbridge that will span the River Freshney at Grimsby’s Garth Lane is being transported into town next week.
A police escort through North and North East Lincolnshire is required to accompany the 37m-long transporter on which the main frame of the bridge will sit. Its masts and decorative pieces will be carried separately.
After its fabrication in North Yorkshire, at the premises of designers SH Structures Ltd, its painting location was Scunthorpe where a large unit was found to accommodate it.
With painting complete, its journey will be taken in two stages due to the need for a police escort, over Monday and Tuesday with a route taken along the A180 and then taking a back route into Garth Lane. Householders who will need to move any parked vehicles are being notified directly by the specialist haulage company.
The bridge will then be lifted into position the following day with a huge crane needed. However, it will still be several weeks before it is open, with some major installation works required and until then the main footpath diversion will remain with people reminded to follow the signposted route.
“What a sight this will be,” said North East Lincolnshire Council leader Cllr Philip Jackson.
“To have attracted the grant award to help us to carry out all this work here is fantastic and with the recent Budget announcement about the Towns Fund monies, such work is set to continue,” added Cllr Jackson, who stressed how the grant monies were secured and ringfenced for this project only.
As reported, the work is now progressing well on the £3.5m regeneration of this area, which lies with the Grimsby Heritage Action Zone, (HAZ). In addition to the bridge, it has included granite-clad concrete seating and steps down to the water’s edge, landscaping, new seating including the fish benches upcycled from the old willow tree, and new paving decorated with wind turbine blades reflecting the town’s growing renewables energy sector.
The Garth Lane work, which is being managed by ENGIE on behalf of the Council, is supported by £1.3m secured by the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership from the Local Growth Fund as part of the Government’s commitment to the Northern Powerhouse, and The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government with funding released as a result of the Grimsby Town Deal.
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