Hull City Council‘s cabinet has approved proposals for a five-year programme to repair and maintain Hull’s network of bridges and some other structures.
A report that was submitted to the council for approval sets out plans for the upkeep of 15 structures across the city, most of which are bridges. The report, for example, states that ‘strengthening schemes’ are required for a number of structures including Sutton Road Bridge, North Bridge, and Hessle Road flyover.
At the cabinet meeting, held on Monday, June 23, the council’s portfolio holder for transportation, roads and highways, Cllr Mark Ieronimo, described the programme as “a long term plan, not just a list of repairs”. Cllr Ieronimo added: “If we don’t invest now we will pay the price later.”
The leader of the council, Cllr Mike Ross, wrote to the Government last week calling for investment into Hull’s bridges. Cllr Ross’ letter called for part of the newly-announced £1 billion Structures Fund to be spent in Hull. His letter spoke of the council’s programme which has now been approved by the cabinet. He wrote: “We have a ready-to-go plan for Hull’s bridges and road infrastructure, but in order to make it happen we need external grant funding from the Government.”
The leader reiterated these calls in the cabinet meeting as he urged the Government to “put their money where their month is and back places like Hull. This plan is a good way of doing that.”
(Image: Katie Pugh)
The report also calls for the decommissioning of Boothferry Road footbridge following inspections finding it to have ‘numerous defects.’ In addition to the decommissioning of the bridge, the report recommends that improvements are made to the existing road crossing and that a road safety audit is undertaken.
The council’s plan also seeks to resolve the long-running Victoria Pier saga. The two-century old pier, which the council report states is in a “very poor condition”, has been closed to the public for several years. The council’s new plan seeks to make the area safe to carry out works to assess the feasibility of replacing the pier. The same is also the case for the River Hull Walkway.
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