Time to call time on the Transporter? Why waste 7M to reopen it to traffic? After 109 years its no longer fit for purpose.

It’s important to keep alive iconic structures like this. It marks the town out.

when you think £40m has been spent (& counting) on a white elephant airport and £30m on an asbestos ridden Stockton theatre I’d think £7m is cheap.

this area seems to have decision makers about the same level as boro’s recruitment department
 
Badonde said:
It’s important to keep alive iconic structures like this. It marks the town out.

when you think £40m has been spent (& counting) on a white elephant airport and £30m on an asbestos ridden Stockton theatre I’d think £7m is cheap.

this area seems to have decision makers about the same level as boro’s recruitment department
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No way The Transporter should be mothballed or turned into a museum piece.
My opening post echoed the sentiments in the Gazette, because I already knew the reaction.
Boris chuffing Johnson spent 1,000, 000 on a paint job on his Prime Ministerial Aeroplane!
7 Million in comparison is nowt - and The Bridge will be recognised for the sweated labour and skilled workers who "built the world" - which is more than can be said for that twit!! :mad:
 
It needs to be preserved as a working bridge otherwise what’s the point.
Of the two options on the table I would say the £7 million over ten years to turn it into a tourist attraction is the best one. It does the work required and keeps it but at the same time reduces the wear and tear of everyday use.

the thing that scares me is the report says it is that badly in need of repair that they can’t say for sure that bits haven’t already dropped off!

as for putting in a swing bridge or other bridge.. you can’t. The river is in daily navigation use as far as BIllingham Oil Jetty... the river is also too wide at the point for an effective moving bridge other than a Transporter with gondola.

the only safe option for another crossing east of the Transporter that would not effect shipping is a tunnel. Considering the cost to build and the heavily populated shoreline on both sides it’s a complete none starter
 
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WTF! said:
It needs to be preserved as a working bridge otherwise what’s the point.
Of the two options on the table I would say the £7 million over ten years to turn it into a tourist attraction is the best one. It does the work required and keeps it but at the same time reduces the wear and tear of everyday use.

the thing that scares me is the report says it is that badly in need of repair threat they can’t say for sure that bits haven’t already dropped off!

as for putting in a swing bridge or other tumour... you can’t. The river is in daily navigation use as far as BIllingham Oil Jetty... the river is also too wide at the point for an effective moving bridge other than a Transporter with gondola.

the only safe option for another crossing east of the Transporter that would not effect shipping is a tunnel. Considering the cost to build and the heavily populated shoreline on both sides it’s a complete none starter
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Sort the money to get the bridge up and running asap. The broader plan for Teesside has to be another crossing and complete rerouting and remodeling of the main arterial roads.
 
r00fie1 said:
IThe bridge is the core of that heritage and identity. It has to be up and running. It cant become a museum piece.
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Couple of things about that picture, its terrific. I didn't realise the ground was so close, if you drive there from the bridge its a couple of miles. Secondly, on the boro side of the bridge there used to be a cafe on the approach road, can't remember what its called, is it still there?
 
What the various authorities should do is:

Build a new crossing, preferably a tunnel
Preserve the Transporter and make it the centrepiece of a cluster of National Museums of Engineering, Industry and Exploration, which can be working museums as well.
Also use it for extreme sports and make Teesside a go to place for activities - bungee jumps, zip wire, get a ski slope on the hills, jet boats, there’s the water sports centre in Stockton.
Lobby to make the area a UNESCO World Heritage Site - the Vizcaya Bridge in Bilbao and Forth Bridge are, why not the Transporter allied to the industrial heritage?
 
I can’t really believe there is even a debate about this.

Something like £50m was wasted in London on a garden bridge that never even got off the drawing board.

£7m to preserve in working order a historic and iconic bridge like the Transporter is a drop in the public purse ocean.

Surely our local area politicians can get this sorted between them?

Surely?
 
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