Work begins on £10 million Middlehaven Dock Bridge

Artist impression Credit: Middlesbrough Council

Work on a major gateway to one of the region’s regeneration sites gets underway this week.

The £10 million Middlehaven Dock Bridge and link road will create a new access point that will kick-start the next phase of the town’s ambitiousregeneration programme.

Over the next 12 months the Middlesbrough Council-led project will replace the existing footbridge across Middlehaven Dock with a state-of-the-art road bridge.

The new Dock Bridge is due to open next summer, paving the way for work to start on the proposed snow centre.

The new road access will help to ease congestion on the A66 trunk route, as well as further opening up around 25 hectares of significant mixed-usecommercial and residential development land on the wider Middlehaven site.

Councillor Lewis Young, Executive Member for Economic Development and Infrastructure, Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, Middlesbrough Deputy Mayor Charlie Rooney and Balfour Beatty Operations Director Neil Beck Credit: Middlesbrough Council

The scheme has been designed over the last 18 months with an investment of £3.9 million from Tees ValleyCombined Authority.

Councillor Charlie Rooney, Middlesbrough Deputy Mayor and ExecutiveMember for City Centre Strategy, said:

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said:

Balfour Beatty Operations Director Neil Beck, Cllr Lewis Young, Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen and Middlesbrough Deputy Mayor Charlie Rooney Credit: Middlesbrough Council

The new road and lifting bridge - with associated lighting, drainage andlandscaping works - will feature a 95-tonne steel bridge deck with 120 tonnes of steel reinforcement and 159 tonnes of pre-cast concrete units.

The new highways will link Shepherdson Way with Scott’s Road, crossing anarrow channel connecting Middlehaven Dock to the River Tees.

Community benefits during the project will include work experience, traineeand apprenticeship opportunities, engagement with local schools and colleges and adult employment opportunities.

Balfour Beatty Operations Director Neil Beck said:

Throughout the works, Balfour Beatty, Middlesbrough Football Club and theCouncil will work to ensure football fans, residents and businesses are keptinformed of any disruption to pedestrian and road access.