New £2m foot and cycle bridge in Barnsley a 'win-win'

The £2m scheme that resulted in a brand new bridge between Penny Pie Park and Pogmoor Recreation ground has been opened today by Barnsley council leader Sir Stephen Houghton, new Mayor Mick Stowe and stakeholders including students from the nearby Horizon Community College.

Originally the plans for the new bridge were approved by the local authority in April 2021 and the budget was set at £1,62m.

However, in June last year a further £498,000 was allocated to the project, pushing the total over £2m.

Barnsley Council leader Sir Stephen Houghton said the development brought a “massive improvement” in traffic for the town centre and it, therefore, had a massive impact health-wise.

Cllr Houghton said: “It’s hugely improving the environment around the area, particularly the park for the kids and people, they absolutely love it.

“The green space has been improved and they’ve got the bridge which has made a huge difference in terms of connectivity from the side of the hospital over to Horizon school and the rest of the borough.

“After all the controversy we’ve had over the years, people are now seeing the benefits and telling us what a great job it is.

“We’ve made some major changes to the area and people – quite rightly and understandably – were concerned about that but we did try to reassure people that in the end, the proof of the pudding is in the final result, isn’t it?

“The bridge will shorten the journey to school but more importantly it’s making safe journeys for people from one part to the other, linking two green spaces. It’s an active travel improvement. It’s a win-win for everybody.”

When he was asked about the raising costs during the process, Cllr Houghton added this was “not just an old bridge”.

“We’ve gone for the best. It will take not just foot traffic but cycle traffic too”, he said.

He added: “If we were going to do something, do it well – don’t just go for the easiest, we haven’t.

“It cost a little bit more by doing it that way but I think the residents deserve nothing less.”

Liam Carter, the Director of CR Reynolds, the project’s contractor, admitted the project was “challenging” and “it’s taken a good deal of team effort.”

He said: “A lot of the work, funnily enough, was pre-construction and it took longer than the construction because we had to consider the ground improvement. Pre-construction was very challenging due to the nature of the existing ground, which was subject to a lot of change design revisions.

“It’s been a challenging project predominantly due to the time of the year it was undertaken – November, December, January, February and April as well.”

Apart from the residents living nearby, students at Horizon Community College will also be able to enjoy the extra couple of minutes they will have thanks to the new route over the railway line available from now on.

Elizabeth Hill, a Year 8 student at Horizon Community College, said: “It’s really nice, it cuts off a lot of time when we are getting into school and it means I can sleep more in the morning.”