Safety concerns close hospital footbridge
Safety concerns close hospital footbridge
A 140-year-old footbridge over railway lines linking Cowper St to the current Grey Base Hospital has been closed following an engineering assessment.
On Friday the West Coast DHB received a preliminary engineering report outlining potential concerns about the safety of the footbridge.
Before 5pm the footbridge was roped off and staff advised that access was no longer safe.
West Coast DHB General Manager Mark Newsome says plans have been found for the bridge that date the original structure to around 1875, with alterations from a road bridge to a foot/cycle bridge around 1968.
”There have been additions and repairs over time, however it was timely to do a thorough assessment of the structure. We have acted rapidly to mitigate any risk to users whilst we await the final report.”
The DHB would make a decision about the future of the footbridge when that report was received.
ends