A NUMBER of footbridges in Saddleworth washed away or damaged by flooding are to be replaced and repaired as part of borough-wide work costing £725,000.
Brookdale Footbridge – between Dobcross and Uppermill – is on the list in need of “urgent work’ at a cost of nearly £100,000.
The bridge is currently closed to the public as it shows ‘visual signs of distortion’ and moves significantly when used.
Oldham Council bosses intend to spend £98,472 to remove and replace the three main timber beams, replace the rotten footway timbers and re-fix the handrails to get it back open again.
A Dobcross footbridge is to have missing brickwork replaced. A non-slip surface will be also put in place as it is in the grounds of Holy Trinity primary school and is ‘frequently used by small children’.
Knowls Lane footbridge in Springhead is to have its footway timbers fully replaced at a cost of £53,328.
Also in Springhead, Brooklet Close footbridge is to be repaired and have its south abutment rebuilt, along with a ‘training wall’ and embankment to make sure water goes along the correct course.
Other footbridges to be repaired across Saddleworth include:
• Sunfield footbridge in Diggle
• Jubilee Bridleway Bridge in
Greenfield
• Tin Pot footbridge in Diggle
Additionally, the retaining wall at the end of Phillimore Street in Lees is ‘showing signs of failure’ after anti-social behaviour in the form of ‘youth’ scaling the parapet and jumping below on to shipping container and old garage at edge of Leesfield Cemetery.
Officers say this has led to damage to the parapet and the plan is to remove the shipping container and demolish the garage, raise the height of the cemetery side of the wall and reconstruct the entire wall and parapet.
It is estimated that these works will cost in the region of £54,000.
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