Monkton Terrace footbridge update after structural concerns force closures

The Monkton Terrace footbridges in Jarrow were closed in 2021 after structural experts raised concerns during routine safety inspections, including concerns about the parapets.

The footbridges provide a pedestrian route over the railway line and are separate structures to the road bridge itself, with the routes providing access to shopping facilities, schools and other local services.

During the closure, a temporary path for pedestrians has been in operation on the road bridge, as well as temporary traffic lights to manage traffic on the remaining lane.

At a meeting of South Tyneside Council’s Jarrow and Boldon Community Area Forum (CAF) at the end of March, councillors heard planned temporary footbridge repairs are due to start by the end of April following previous delays.

Claire Tulley, stakeholder relations manager at Nexus, said her organisation was working alongside the council and contractors to get everything in place to carry out the initial works.

She said: “We now know that South Tyneside Council have appointed their temporary works contractor. Once they’re signed off the temporary works will hopefully start towards the end of April.

“It has been a long, long time coming but I do believe that from our side and from South Tyneside Council’s side we are working rigorously to get this moving forward.

“We’re looking at the temporary works by the end of April, and then the permanent repairs, that will be something that once the temporary works are done, they’ll be able to put into place a date.”

Council officers at a CAF meeting in December 2022 outlined how they hoped a temporary solution would be put into place on one of the footbridges to provide public access while work takes place on the other footbridge.

A joint statement from the council and Nexus on the footbridges, which was read out at February’s meeting of the CAF, was also reiterated, stressing both parties will work closely to get started as soon as possible.

It said: “It has taken longer than anyone would like to get the repairs to the footbridges done. We’re sorry this has been the case.

“The council is responsible for the footpaths over the bridges and plan to make repairs, but the bridges were until recently owned by Network Rail, with that ownership moving to Nexus during the Metro Flow project.

“Both the council and Nexus need to make sure the bridges are in a safe condition for the project without risk to the railway underneath, or to contractors who would be close to the overhead line and passing trains.

“There has now been a physical survey of the bridges and, once the necessary reviews of that survey are completed we will know whether they are in a suitable condition for planned works to proceed. “

The statement also acknowledged “the focus on completing Metro Flow” was a contributing factor to the work taking longer than hoped.