River footbridge to close for essential repairs

A footbridge across the River Hull is to be closed for essential repairs, the city council said.

Scale Lane Bridge will shut from 10 December until into the new year to allow bearings in the swing mechanism to be replaced.

It will be left in the open position to allow shipping to travel along the river.

The council said it would provide further updates on when the bridge will reopen once the work had started.

Garry Taylor, assistant director for major projects, culture and place at Hull City Council, apologised for the inconvenience.

“Following a recent inspection of the Scale Lane Bridge, engineers identified that, due to normal wear and tear, several of the swing mechanism’s bearings need replacing," he said.

“We have been discussing the situation with a specialist contractor over the past few weeks and, while this has been going on, the bridge has remained open and safe for the public to use.

“However, we are now in a situation where vessels want to use the River Hull.

“By law, vessels have priority over pedestrian traffic, so the decision has been made to swing the bridge open and keep it in that position until the repairs are completed in the new year."

Opened in 2013, the bridge took six years to construct at a cost of almost £7m.

Pedestrians are allowed to stay on the bridge as it swings open.

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