No plans to demolish ill-fated footbridge
BBCA city centre footbridge that was closed due to a structural defect will not be demolished, a council has pledged.
Irish Gate Bridge in Carlisle, which is known as Millennium Bridge, was closed in March after a routine inspection found a crack in one of its steel support beams.
Rob Lewis, Highways Asset Manager for Cumberland Council, said the bridge would continue to be repaired until "its life expectancy is exceeded".
Lewis said the council, which is responsible for the bridge, needed to carry out a detailed inspection of the crack before a clear timescale for reopening it could be determined.
The bridge was built using funding from the National Lottery's Millenium Commission.
Since its official opening in October 2000, it has been closed on multiple occasions for repair and improvement works.
Works carried out include the installation of shutters to the bridge's lifts after they were vandalised.
The lifts have since been permanently closed and Lewis said: "There's no intention to bring them back into operation."
Lewis said the council hopes the crack, which is 140mm long and 4mm deep, will be inspected by specialist contractors "in the next couple of weeks".
"Depending on what they find, the time will vary for the bridge to be reopened," he said.
The bridge connects Carlisle Castle to the city centre, crossing the busy A595 dual carriageway at Castle Way.
Alternative routes including a toucan crossing east of the bridge and an underpass at Tullie Museum and Gallery are available, but Lewis said the council has no plans to demolish the bridge entirely.
"At the moment there's no danger that bridge will be removed," he said.
"It will be repaired until its life expectancy is exceeded."
