Temporary replacement for Powderhall footbridge could incur £670,000 costs, Edinburgh councillors told
City Fibre and Scottish Power cables embedded in structure of bridge
A temporary replacement for a popular Edinburgh footbridge closed for safety reasons could incur costs of £670,000, councillors have heard.
A council official told the transport and environment committee that City Fibre and Scottish Power both had cables embedded in the structure of the Powderhall bridge, part of the St Mark’s Path from Broughton Road to St Mark's Park.
The bridge was closed in June after it failed a safety inspection because of cracks in the timber. A permanent replacement is estimated to cost £2.2 million and the council has said the bridge and the path will have to remain closed until “at least early 2028”.
The closure means a lengthy detour for the path’s users but locals have complained that there are no signs to show people where to go.
Harold Tobermann of Leith Central Community Council told the committee on Thursday that the bridge closure had severed a “vital arterial link” in North Edinburgh’s active travel network.
He said: “This isn’t just a piece of infrastructure, it’s a daily lifeline. It connects some of the most densely populated residential communities in Scotland to our green network. To leave this bridge closed until early 2028 pending a full replacement is simply unacceptable to our communities. If a major road bridge was closed you would not ask drivers to wait for two years without exploring alternative solutions.”
He urged the council to consider temporary repairs to the existing bridge or installing a prefabricated temporary replacement, which he said he understood could be rented for two years for £25,000.
But an official said a temporary drop-in bridge had already been explored. He said: “We can’t drop in a temporary bridge without getting rid of the current bridge and we can’t get rid of the current bridge without moving the City Fibre cable. So by the time all of that work is done to accommodate a temporary bridge it’s getting towards the cost of a permanent solution anyway.
“These services are embedded within the structure, they’re not just fixed onto the side, so we can’t just cut them out.
“We are in dialogue with City Fibre and Scottish Power, who also have cable crossing the structure. The quotation from City Fibre is £670,000 - we’ve not yet received a quotation from Scottish Power.”
He said repairs were unlikely to be feasible and it also seemed unlikely that a temporary replacement bridge would be money well spent for the council.
“We are in dialogue with City Fibre to explore and try to refine the diversion costs in the hope we don’t have to pay £670,000 because it is a massive amount of money.”
The committee agreed to review what temporary repair or replacement options may be available, as well as the current diversion route and whether it could be improved. It also requested clear signposting of the diversion and to have a site visit to discuss the way forward with community councils members and others.