BRIDGE OF SIGHS
Demand for landmark to be cleaned
AT 70m high the gleaming white Newport city footbridge marked the first step in the city’s regeneration when it was opened in 2006. But today the enormous A-frame mast leaning out over the Usk has become filthy after years of exposure to river mud in often wet and windy conditions.
“Sometimes I’m tempted to clean it myself with loo roll,” said Jonathan Hill, who runs Hi Coffee at the end of the structure in the city’s Millennium Plaza.
“Why oh why can’t they just get up there and clean it or paint it again? Maybe in grey, so it is sustainable, or just clean it and maintain it.
“We have a council with lovely visions but they build these things and they do not maintain them which is a big problem.
“We’ve got it with the Riverfront Theatre as well, which needs a good clean.
“If we want to live in a clean, modern city, with a £5m bridge then it needs to be the best entrance to the city centre possible.”
The 850-tonne bridge stands 17m taller than Nelson’s Column.
“For us the bridge is crucial because it is a gateway to the east and the west,” Jonathan said.
“It has opened up this side of the city and is a thoroughfare to Friars Walk.”
Councillor Majid Rahman represents Newport’s Victoria ward, where the bridge is.
“It is in need of a good clean – I have been thinking about this for a while now,” he said.
“It’s at quite an angle so you would need a specialist cleaner.
“It’s about getting the council to agree the costs for funding it. I have no idea how much it would cost to fund it.
“I think it was cleaned at one point a few years ago for the Big Splash Festival.”
Cleaning firm Summit Rope Access has washed Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
Managing director Sean Turley said the firm would be able to clean the bridge “no problem at all”.
The struts not hanging over the river could be washed using a cherry picker while those over the water could be accessed by abseiling from the top of the structure.
“It would be a fairly straightforward job,” Sean said.
He said it would be easier than cleaning the enormous national stadium, which Sean said was difficult because of the amount of steelwork involved.
“We’ll have to drop a card into Newport council and introduce ourselves,” he added.
“It would probably take about a week.”
A spokesman for Newport council said the authority was “proud of the many structures that straddle the River Usk, connecting thousands of people from the west and east of the city every day”.
The spokesman added: “Newport city footbridge, which is now more than 10 years old, has become an unmistakable and iconic part of the city’s skyline and remains in great shape with its towering supports and night-time illumination.
“The council of course has a vast annual maintenance programme for structures ranging from schools to bridges and has recently completed works on Newport Transporter Bridge in readiness for the 2017 season.
“Visitors are encouraged to come and see for themselves what good shape these iconic Welsh bridges are in, take in the river views, and enjoy the city’s attractions including the award-winning Friars Walk.”