Road safety complaints over £13m ‘vanity project’ bridge

The new bridge to replace the Jumble Lane Crossing opened in December, following delays due to electrical problems.

Although the bridge was initially set to cost £5m, the cost has now increased to £13m, after Barnsley Council applied for a further £1m from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA).

A report to the SYMCA states that the project has experienced a ‘number of changes to the specification and construction,’ including changes to drainage, landscaping, levelling, and vehicle and pedestrian incursion methods.

Barnsley Council says the project has been ‘complex’ and has faced a number of challenges during construction.

It said that the lifts will be in operation in early February.

The costs of the bridge itself totals £8m, and a further £3.2m has been spent on legal costs, design works, landscaping and diversions.

A total of £1.8m has been invested in improvements around the bridge, including new paving and public realm works, improved street lighting, highway works and a sewer diversion.

Network Rail provided £2m for the project, while SYMCA has contributed £7.9m from the Accelerated South Yorkshire Renewal Fund and its Get Britain Building and Transforming Cities fund.

The latest £1m from the SYMCA has yet to be formally agreed.

However, Liberal Democrat councillor Steve Hunt has branded the bridge a ‘vanity project’ – and says he has already received complaints about lack of road safety.

Coun Hunt told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “This is another large town centre project whose costs have increased significantly from the original estimate.

“These overspends in the town centre mean less money available to spend to improve our villages and principal towns. A new bridge was desperately needed but the grandiose design has always felt to me like a vanity project. A more functional bridge could have been delivered more quickly and given better value for money.

“Despite the increased costs I am receiving complaints about the lack of road safety features for pedestrians at the Oakwell end of the bridge with those using the bridge having to contend with crossing multiple lanes of traffic.

“I am pleased to have arranged a meeting with officers and cabinet members later this month to discuss my concerns. I look forward to obtaining a positive outcome from that meeting for the users of the new bridge.”

Councillor Robin Franklin, cabinet spokesperson for regeneration and culture, said: “The stunning new Market Gate Bridge is now open to pedestrians and will soon be fully complete, including the opening of the lifts, and a variety of other paving and cosmetic finishing works.

“This has been a complex project and a number of challenges arose during the construction period. The project has also included a range of highway and public realm improvement works which are complementary to the construction of the bridge.

“We are now seeking approval to allocate an additional £1m of funds already committed to Barnsley by South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) to be used on this project, which will reduce the impact on the council’s own capital budget. We’re grateful to SYMCA who have funded the majority of the cost of this bridge and the wider improvements around it.”