City councillor John Fox has described it as a team effort to get public footbridges replaced in part of Peterborough.
Cllr Fox said: “It was all the councillors for Gunthorpe and Werrington working together with officers to make it happen,” he said after work is continuing to finish installation of the new footbridges at Cuckoos Hollow in Werrington, is progressing with new structures set to open this spring.
The council announced last year that three bridges in the area were to close after inspections revealed that the structures had deteriorated more quickly than anticipated and were posing a risk to public safety.
Work to remove the bridges adjacent to Baron Court, Lakeside and Welbourne has taken place over the past 12 months. The council is currently working to replace the bridges at Baron Court and Lakeside with replacement structures now being installed ready to be re-opened in May.
The two new bridges will be a significant improvement on the previous structures in terms of materials and size, providing improved access for users and longevity.
The council will continue to look at options to replace the third bridge at Welbourne, which was recently removed. However, at present this bridge will not be replaced as part of the current works, due to rising costs.
Councillor Angus Ellis, Peterborough City Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport said: “We have prioritised replacing the bridges at Baron Court and Lakeside so there is access at both north and south of Cuckoos Hollow and look forward to seeing these bridges re-opened.
“I am pleased that this work to replace the bridges is being done, it is much needed by residents and visitors to the natural habitat of Cuckoos Hollow.
“However, as the project has progressed, it has unfortunately become evident that the budgets originally allocated for the works are not to enough to cover replacing all three bridges right now.
“We will continue to explore other funding options with a view to installing a third bridge in future and other potential schemes for this area.”
