Gooseholme Bridge, Kendal construction begins

Gooseholme Bridge spanned the River Kent near Stramongate, and work on its new, improved replacement, re-connecting two sections of Common Land at New Road and Gooseholme Park has been delayed due to problems with the linking of fibre optic and utility cables.

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This has now been completed with the bridge construction now underway, and a spokesperson for Cumbria County Council has provided an update on the project.

"Cumbria County Council is delivering the £2 million project to build a replacement footbridge across the River Kent at Gooseholme in Kendal and has appointed Story Contracting Ltd to deliver the construction of the new bridge, which is needed because the old Gooseholme footbridge was one of the hundreds of bridges in Cumbria damaged or destroyed by Storm Desmond," said the spokesman.

AREA: The new bridge will span part of the area shown

"This exciting project will deliver a superb new single-span bridge that will be fully accessible to all bridge users.

"The new bridge will be wider than the original footbridge to provide shared access for pedestrians, cyclists, and wheelchair users. 

"The replacement bridge will reconnect two pieces of common land that were previously linked for 140 years. 

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"This footbridge will ensure that this link remains well into the future. 

"It is with thanks to our funding partners who have made this project possible - the Environment Agency, South Lakeland District Council, and Sustrans.

"However, before the 'build' of the bridge, there are some essential steps which must take place in advance. 

"Due to the ramp needed to make the bridge accessible to all users, several utilities which run through Gooseholme Park needed to be diverted, most of these were completed Autumn 2021.

FUTURE: An artist's impression of the new Gooseholme Bridge

"However, due to a national shortage of fibre optic cables, Vodafone was only able to install their cables in the week commencing on March 21, 2022.

"In the Spring to Summer of 2022, bridge construction and build of the footbridge is to be initiated by Story Contracting Ltd.

"The planned opening of the bridge is Autumn 2022.

"Thank you, in advance, for your patience and understanding, whilst we build a better bridge for your future use."

For more information on the project, visit www.cumbria.gov.uk/gooseholmebridge