The Railway Footbridge

Our readers often comment on the scruffy state of the footbridge which pedestrians must use to reach the High Street from the railway station and the industrial estate, Stock Road and Norsey Road.  Many feel that it does not create a good impression of the town for visitors coming by rail, and certainly the drab grey paint, graffiti and corrosion evident in the picture (The Footbridge Today) do not make for an attractive gateway.

However, as noted in the November issue of ‘The Resident’, Essex County Council is planning to renovate the footbridge during 2008.  There is no firm date as yet, because the work will entail removing the structure and providing an interim crossing until it can be restored.  This will probably mean temporarily reinstating the walkway on the western side of the road bridge; this was the original pedestrian facility before the footbridge was installed in 1981 (Road Bridge in 1978).

In addition, Network Rail has decided to strengthen the parapets at the sides of the road bridge, to reduce the risk of a vehicle falling onto the tracks as the result of an accident.  The footbridge project must be completed before work on the parapets, because the width of the walkway will be reduced still further. 

The footbridge superstructure (the visible part) was fabricated by Tubeworkers Limited at its Kington Works in Claverdon, Warwickshire.  See picture “Superstructure Fabrication”   It was brought to the site in two sections, spliced together and lifted into position on the substructure.  A similar approach will be used when removing and returning the assembly after refurbishment.

Although the basic design will remain the same, we expect that the appearance of the footbridge will be considerably improved after renovation.  In particular, perhaps ECC could give some thought to the colour, and how it could deter graffiti artists.