Shoreham’s Footbridge
Posted by Ricky in Opinion under Adur | on Apr 22 2010
Shoreham’s Footbridge is an iconic part of the Town’s identity, appearance and history. Let’s judge proposals to replace it on the need, the design, and the cost.
THE NEED: The bridge is old and needs maintenance. Does it satisfy present demands, yes. There are many older, historic bridges, in varying needs of repair. We would not dream of replacing them unless they were dangerous or incapable of doing their job.
THE DESIGN: The present bridge is a memorable example of 1920’s design, a bridge to the Beach and to the Past. It opens allowing navigation of the upper river by larger vessels. Making a new bridge openable would greatly increase its cost. A new bridge would either follow the route of the present bridge, or be built alongside, again at far greater cost.
THE COST: No cost has been yet been established because the design has not yet been chosen. But the outline budget greatly exceeds £5 million. There will be a great deal of pressure to choose the cheapest design - a bridge which follows the present route and does not open. But the cost of construction is only one part of the cost to Shoreham. Closing the footbridge for any length of time will have a devastating impact on the residents, especially for children and the elderly, on both banks of the Adur. Casual crossing becomes impossible, and essential travel very difficult, requiring a contiuous high volume shuttle bus service over the Norfolk road bridge, possibly for months.
THE CONCLUSION: The cost of the serious disruption to the daily lives of all sections of the community risks being extremely high. Will the benefits of a new footbridge justify its social cost to the community? Has the option of restoring and maintaining the existing, historic Footbridge been considered? Has a comparative cost analysis been carried out?
