New bridge will be a real landmark for our town centre

I am writing in response to a letter published in last week’s Chronicle regarding Market Gate Bridge.

The bridge will be much more than a ‘simple pedestrian bridge’ as the writer suggested; it will be a landmark feature on the Barnsley skyline and the first thing people see when arriving by bus or train – something our outstanding town centre deserves.

It will be of high quality with a striking design and provide easy access directly into our new Glass Works square to encourage even more people to access our vibrant town centre through active travel, whether on foot, by bike, wheelchair or scooter.

The bridge will be fully accessible with lifts at both ends and cyclists will also be able to take their bikes into the lifts or walk them up the steps using a dedicated cycle wheel groove built into the bridge.

It will also add to the continuing wider development and economic growth of our town centre, including the Youth Zone, the development of The Seam digital campus, and our Town Centre Urban Design and Sustainability Strategy.

As reported in the Chronicle on July 1, almost £7m of the £9.7m estimated cost has been covered by external investment.

Network Rail is contributing £2m, while the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority is contributing a further £4.8m via their Get Britain Building and Transforming Cities funds following a successful bid to Government.

Barnsley Council is funding the rest as part of the wider town centre regeneration.

The forecast £9.7m total cost allows for significant increases in steel and other material costs since the bridge was first designed. It also includes further public realm, landscaping and highway improvements at both ends of the bridge.

The Jumble Lane level crossing was ranked 27th most dangerous of 2,312 level crossings on the London North Eastern and East Midlands Route, making it high-risk. It was closed in 2019 as part of Network Rail’s Level Crossing Risk Reduction Programme to improve safety, and reopening it is not an option. The footbridge in the Interchange remains open, and lifts are available for those with access needs.

The construction of Market Gate Bridge is one of the next steps on the journey to make Barnsley the place of possibilities, and I look forward to following the progress of the works over the coming months.