A FOOTBRIDGE used by generations of Chipping Sodbury residents was brought crashing down onto Kennedy Way in an overnight demolition operation.
Hydraulic cutting machines severed the middle of the steel-reinforced crossing, known to residents as the Banana Bridge, at 1.26am on June 6 after South Gloucestershire Council closed the road for the weekend on the previous evening.
Rachael and Amy Cann, who live nearby, captured the moment the middle of the bridge between Mallard Close and Highfield Road was brought down by the “Jurassic Park-like” excavators (above, below and top).
Rachael said: “We were keeping an eye out and it was noisy anyway, so we weren’t going to be sleeping, knowing it was about to happen.
“They started with the railings on the bridge just before midnight.
“It took took quite a while, about 18 minutes, for then to get through the middle bit. It was a bit ironic as they had said that it was unstable, but it didn’t want to come down!”
The sides of the bridge deck followed, and the whole bridge was down by 8.30am.
Throughout the day sightseers braved the rain to witness a part of the town’s history being reduced to rubble.
Among them were Matthew Gay and his seven-year-old son Jack, of Yate.
Matthew said: “It’s a sad day. I used to cross this bridge going to school.
“It’s only going to be a matter of time before someone gets knocked down on this road.”
Joy Cheverton, who lives nearby, said: “I came down for a last walk over it last night.
“It’s sad to see it go.
“We’ve had two generations of children going back and forth to school and I used it every day going for walks.
“Now I’ll have to go the long way round. I’ll probably use Lilliput Park more – for children and older people it will be a problem.”
The Voice revealed in April that the bridge, which was built in the early 1970s, was set to be demolished by the council “to remove the risk of future structural problems and to keep people safe”.
With pedestrians facing diversions of up to 12 minutes to cross via the underpass near Love Lane or the crossing near the Tesco roundabout, the council says it is considering adding a pedestrian crossing at the Kennedy Way/Heron Way junction.
A spokesperson said: “No dates have been set, and a public consultation will take place before any decision is made.”
The cost of a new bridge is estimated at around £5 million.
Days after the bridge was demolished the government announced it will spend £4.5 billion on active travel over the next five years, including 10,000 safer crossings across the country.
The Voice has asked the council and West of England Combined Authority, which will distribute the region’s share of the money, if a bridge could be funded from it.
