Orbit Footbridge Repair to Begin
- A £495,000 investment in repair and refurbishment of Orbit Footbridge starts on Monday
- Work should take 16 weeks to complete, reopening in late October
- A diversion is in place for pedestrians, water traffic can still operate
Work to repair and refurbish the Orbit Footbridge will begin on Monday 7 July.
The footbridge, located behind Queens Road car park, has been temporarily closed since December for safety reasons. It is scheduled to reopen again in late October after 16 weeks of essential maintenance.
Built around 1990 and mainly consisting of a steel structure with wooden decking boards, the Orbit Footbridge has deteriorated over the years.
Works will include replacement of the existing timber deck boards with new glass reinforced polymer and the repainting of the steel footbridge and parapets.
To carry out these works safely and efficiently, the footbridge will remain closed to pedestrians with the existing diversion route remaining in place. Residents are instead encouraged to use well-lit public highway routes such as Duke Street as an alternative.
Water traffic on the River Kennet will be able to operate at all times during the works, as the contractor will work on half of the bridge at any one time, keeping half of the waterway open for river traffic.
The £495k project is being funded from the annual Department for Transport Bridges & Carriageway Highway Maintenance Award. The Council has also invested £4m over two-years on bridges and other structures around Reading. This investment includes the replacement last summer of the King’s Meadow footbridge to a wider, modern structure to benefit pedestrians and cyclists, and, more recently, vital repair work to High Bridge to restore the deteriorating parapets of the 18th century scheduled ancient monument structure.
Karen Rowland, Lead Councillor for Environmental Services and Community Safety, said:
“I’m pleased that we’re now able to go ahead with this important refurbishment and repair work to the Orbit Footbridge. The safety of our residents is paramount, and this is a pleasant route used frequently by residents from the south and students from the University of Reading to access the town centre on foot. Whilst the closure has been necessary, I’d still like to thank residents for their patience and understanding during this time”.
“A lot of time, effort and investment goes into keeping Reading’s bridges in good order for all users. I’m looking forward to this project’s conclusion in October to reinstate another important crossing to enable residents to get around the town easily on foot.”