Work to create York’s new pedestrian and cycle bridge begins next week.
Construction teams will move onto the Scarborough Bridge site on Monday (October 29), ready to replace the existing pedestrian bridge with something bigger and better.
When finished, the new bridge will provide a traffic-free route for 3,000 people a day travelling between the railway station and city centre.
The new bridge will have ramps at either side making it accessible for a range of users, including cyclists, wheelchair users and people pushing prams.
It will also be nearly three times as wide to ensure there is sufficient space for everyone.
The timetable
The exisiting footbridge will be closed from late January when it will be removed and the new bridge will be put in place.
The new bridge should be in place and open to the public in March, if the weather is kind.
Marygate Car Park will have fewer parking spaces available while work takes place because part of the site will be used for construction.
And the path that runs alongside the car park, including the flood gate next to Scarborough Bridge, will be closed from the end of October.
York Central route
At the time, some concerns were raised about the impact of the work on the heritage of the bridge. But council officers said it was a “once in a generation opportunity” to improve a key crossing and added that any harm would be outweighed by benefits the new bridge would bring.
Executive member for transport and planning Cllr Peter Dew, said:
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This is another major step forwards in our aim of providing a traffic-free route from York Central and the railway station through to the city centre.
I hope residents will bear with us during the upgrade works and whilst there is likely to be some disruption we will do everything possible to keep this to a minimum.
The council’s executive approved the replacement of the footbridge in August after a positive response to a public consultation last year.