A PLAN of action was last week agreed by town councillors in an effort to reduce the time that the Meadows footbridge in Tavistock is out of action. The ageing bridge has been declared unsafe and is to be replaced at a cost of at least £100,000. But the work means the important river crossing, used by hundreds of children and adults every day will disappear while contractors build new footings and install the new bridge. Members of the town council last week agreed a new plan, suggested by the contractors CLC Ltd, be adopted ? even though it will prove more costly. Town clerk Roger Howard said: ?What they can do is close it briefly to investigate the foundations and see what?s happening underneath, then re-open it again and do the detailed design and manufacture, then close it to install the new bridge. ?It will cost us more, but it will be closed to the public for a shorter time.? Cllr Alison Clish-Green was very concerned that the bridge provided a vital, safe route to school for children on the east side of the River Tavy. ?It worries me the number of youngsters that will be walking along the main road,? she said. Cllr Jenny Metcalf, mayor of Tavistock, said it would be ?almost impossible? to avoid major disruption while the bridge was out of action. The council agreed to adopt CLC?s ?option 2?, which will see closure of the bridge for approximately one month initially. The final closure is likely to take about four months ? the planned completion date for the project is September 2006. The extra cost of option 2 is approximately £5,000. The fast food cabin, which is situated right by the footbridge, will continue to provide a service from an alternative location in the Meadows for the duration of the project.
