The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Rhubarb Bridge: The timeline of events...
April 2016 - Plans to demolish
•
Rhubarb Bridge and replace it with crossings were part of the Peterborough Local Transport Plan which was approved by city councillors
December 2016 - Skanska issues
• its first safety audit which warns that installing pedestrian crossings and not repairing or replacing Rhubarb Bridge could see four collisions a year involving pedestrians, including one every two years which could be serious or fatal
January 2017 - The council’s
•
latest budget proposals include £5.5 million to replace the bridge with pedestrian crossings
February 2017 - Sustainable
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transport charity Sustrans said it had “real safety concerns over the plan” and that a replacement bridge should be installed. The council said the bridge was at ‘the end of its life’ and that the crossings would “help improve accessibility for all pedestrians and cycle users”.
February 2017 - A technical assessment
• from Skanska - which was only revealed later in the year after a Freedom of Information request - stated that road crossings would be less safe for pedestrians and cyclists than using Rhubarb Bridge
March 2017 - The council’s
•
budget, including the money to replace Rhubarb Bridge with crossings, was approved
May 2017 - Skanska produces
•
its second safety audit which highlights 15 potential risks from the proposed scheme
August 2017 - Full plans to demolish
• Rhubarb Bridge were unveiled. The council said the bridge would cost up to £30 million to be replaced which it could not afford to do.
August 2017 - A petition to save
•
the bridge received 1,800 signatures in half a day. The proposals were also soon called-in (formally challenged) by opposition councillors, although the call-in was later defeated
October 2017 - The Cambridgeshire
• and Peterborough Combined Authority agreed to spend £250,000 on a feasibility study for a new bridge
October 2017 - A successful
•
petition forced a debate at Full Council where it was agreed to set up a working group on Rhubarb Bridge
December 2017 - Council leader
•
Cllr John Holdich promised to either repair or replace Rhubarb Bridge following a big local campaign
September 2018 - The council
• agreed to spend £1 million earmarked for demolishing the bridge to instead make repairs after the combined authorityfunded report revealed that the bridge was in better overall condition than originally thought and could be repaired for a significant period of time
October 2018 - Skanska’s latest
• safety audit repeated earlier warnings that the crossings posed a risk to pedestrians and motorists and “strongly recommended” that they were not introduced
January 2019 - Works on the
•
£5.5m scheme began
March 2020 - The road project
•
was completed, barring a few minor works which will be carried out in the summer of 2020
April 2020 - The council revealed
• it was reducing the speed limit near the A47/A15 roundabout from 40mph to 30mph. This was due to the recent works. The new speed limits are expected to come into force during the summer