Unsafe Guildford footbridge declared 'danger to the public' has finally been demolished

An unsafe footbridge that has been closed for 16 months has finally been demolished, after it was declared a "danger to the public". The bridge that went over the railway in Guildford provided a shortcut for people walking from Park Barn to Tesco and the Royal Surrey Hospital.

It has been closed July 2023 and Surrey County Council bosses say there are no plans as of yet for the construction of a new footbridge with the priority being to remove the dangerous bridge, which is over the Great Western Railway line that runs from Guildford to the Ash, Farnborough, Frimley and Aldershot train stations.

Demolition work of the bridge in Greville Close was completed by Friday, November 15. A specialist team carefully removed the bridge using a 450-tonne crane, lowering it in one piece for safe dismantling nearby. Night works were carried out from 8pm on Friday, November 8 to 6am on Monday, November 11. These works were essential to reduce daytime disruption on nearby traffic sensitive roads such as Southway and Egerton Road. According to Surrey Highways, the site of the bridge is being restored with new vegetation to support local biodiversity efforts.

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Surrey Highways sent a letter to residents of Greville Close in October which stated the bridge had to be removed because it was "beyond economical repair and poses safety risks for both the public and the railway beneath". Inspections of the bridge in 2023 identified corrosion and missing bolts across the structure, with further inspections in May 2024 confirming that the footbridge had deteriorated beyond safe use and therefore had to be demolished.

In the letter highways bosses stated: "While we are actively assessing the feasibility of constructing a new bridge, this process will take time. Therefore, the removal of the old bridge is essential to address immediate safety concerns."

Parts of Greville Close have been closed since October 28 in preparation for the demolition of the footbridge, these sections remained closed until November 15, by which point the site was cleared of the remaining debris from the bridge.

Now the footbridge has been removed, the advised alternative route is via the footpaths on Southway and onto Egerton Road.

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