Councillors get exclusive behind the scenes tour of Saxilby Footbridge

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Cllr Paul Lee, Chairman Cllr Stephen Bunney, Cllr Elizabeth Hillman, Cllr Ian Willox, Luke Matthews, Liz Gabey, Royston Bingham and James Bingham.
Cllr Paul Lee, Chairman Cllr Stephen Bunney, Cllr Elizabeth Hillman, Cllr Ian Willox, Luke Matthews, Liz Gabey, Royston Bingham and James Bingham.

West Lindsey District Councillors and Saxilby Parish Councillors got a private tour of the footbridge to see the repair works taking place.

As previously reported, West Lindsey District Council commissioned repair and refurbishment works to Saxilby Footbridge, which crosses the Fossdyke, to ensure a long life and minimise the length of time between maintenance for up to 25 years.

Chairman Cllr Stephen Bunney, Cllr Paul Lee, Cllr Elizabeth Hillman, Cllr Ian Willox and Cllr James Willox saw the footbridge getting a new Network Rail specification paint system, with the central span of the bridge almost complete having only a top coat of paint left.

The bridge will also go from green to heritage black, which was a request of Saxilby Parish Council as part of the wider plans they have for the area.

They also saw the two ramped end sections at a stage where they have undergone and completed all steel work and rust treatment repairs ahead of paint.

Universal Coatings UK, who are the contractor for the project, gave the councillors a chance to view a sample of the GRP decking, which is the alternative chosen by West Lindsey District Council as an upgrade to the old timber decking.

Chairman of West Lindsey District Council, Cllr Stephen Bunney, said:

“I’m delighted with the improvements works that have been undertaken by Universal Coatings UK and funded by West Lindsey District Council. This is a significant piece of work for the local community, and we can’t wait to see it return and being used.”

Cllr Paul Lee, who also represents the Saxilby Ward at West Lindsey District Council said:

“It was great seeing the refurbishment works take place on the bridge. A lot of hard work has gone into making Saxilby Bridge amazing once again as it’s invaluable to the local community and the plans for the area.”

Chair of Saxilby with Ingleby Parish Council, Cllr Elizabeth Hillman, said:

“The bridge represents a vital link to the southern side of the conservation area and provides access for boaters visiting the village to the boater facilities and retail outlets of the village. We'd like to thank West Lindsey District Council for moving the regeneration of the bridge forward. As a council we cannot wait to see the bridge back home in the village, in the coming weeks, we are delighted with how the bridge looks and anticipate it will look even better back in its rightful place."

Managing Director at Universal Coatings UK, Philip Bingham said:

“We were delighted to show off what goes on behind the scenes of restoration project, there’s a huge amount of time and skill that goes into getting an historic structure ready for the shiny new paintwork that everyone admires at the end of the project and we're really proud of our talented team that work together to make these projects possible."

Luke Matthews, Senior Building and Projects Officer at West Lindsey District Council highlighted the importance of the work taking place. He said:

“It’s been a privilege to manage this project through its construction phase and into its post completion stage. This bridge is a major landmark in the Saxilby village and I look forward to seeing it overarch the Fossdyke once again in all its glory.”

Once the refurbishment is complete the bridge will be returned to the site on Thursday 23 November 2023, subject to avoidance of adverse weather conditions.

Previous to this visit, senior officers at West Lindsey District Council had the opportunity to meet Home Secretary, James Cleverly, at Universal Coatings as he visited businesses in the area.

For the latest news on West Lindsey District Council visit our council news pages

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