Tees Valley Mayor vows to save and revive broken transporter bridge

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has vowed to save Middlesbrough’s iconic Tees Transporter Bridge and end its uncertain future.

The 112-year-old bridge has been closed since 2019 after a string of safety concerns and problems with its structure. But now Mayor Houchen has pledged to save and fund the repair of the Grade II listed giant of the Teesside skyline and work has already commenced ahead of a proposal being brought to cabinet in January to approve the project.

He said: “The Transporter is as much a part of Teesside as the rolling Cleveland Hills or the beautiful Redcar coastline. It embodies our spirit and our history and to see it in a state of disrepair and left in limbo is unacceptable.

“The public have made their view clear in reviving it and getting it working as it should once again. I have heard this plea and will now fight tooth and nail to breathe new life into what is the symbol and pride of Middlesbrough. I know this will be supported across the political divide which hopefully means we can take a swift decision and get on with delivering.”

Middlesbrough Council and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council have had joint responsibility for the bridge, but Middlesbrough Council oversees its operation.

Until it shut in 2019, the Transporter was the longest working bridge of its kind in the world. The repairs will be funded from the £1bn of new money for transport allocated to the Tees Valley following the scrapping of HS2.

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily