Whitby swing bridge faults: council leader defends repairs response and commitment to town– Yorkshire Post Letters

I WRITE in reply to your Editorial comment “Whitby cut adrift”(The Yorkshire Post, December 21).

Every community in North Yorkshire is important to us, none more so than Whitby.

Far from being “indifferent”, we fully understand the importance of Whitby swing bridge to the town. That is why we invest heavily in the bridge.

Whitby swing bridge farce exposes North Yorkshire County Council’s contempt for divided town – The Yorkshire Post says

To date we have spent more on upgrades and maintenance of this bridge than any other moving bridge in the county.

We took on maintenance of the bridge from our colleagues in Scarborough Borough Council in 2012, with the borough council retaining responsibility for operating, cleaning and greasing the bridge.

Whitby swing bridge saga is hurting town – The Yorkshire Post says

In the first three years we have spent more than half a million pounds on improvements. Upgrades include a computer monitoring system, enabling engineers to diagnose most faults immediately.

We have introduced a new maintenance regime, including a full annual service in addition to a six-monthly service to check the operating systems and fluid levels.

However, we should remember this bridge operates daily in a very harsh environment, open to the wind and salt sea spray and the tidal river.

Given this environment and the bridge’s complex mechanical system – and its age – it can break down but we have dramatically reduced the number of times this happens – from 20 a year to a handful. The bridge is generally in good working order and we can identify and resolve any failure quickly, as we did following the breakdown on the weekend prior to Christmas.

As with anywhere in the county, we seek the best local solutions to local issues.

We have a highways team based in Whitby, who are in regular close contact about the bridge with partners and interested bodies, as well as being personally aware of the impact of any breakdown.

We keep our options under review but at present firmly believe that keeping the present bridge, part of the heritage of Whitby, together with the necessary upgrades and essential maintenance regime, provide the most efficient and least disruptive option for the people of Whitby, both those who depend on an easy crossing over the bridge and those under it.

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