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Flooded town's new bridge to open Flooded town united by new bridge
(about 7 hours later)
A Cumbrian town split in half by floods which demolished two bridges across its river is set to be reunited with the opening of an army-built crossing. A Cumbrian town split in half by floods which killed a police officer and forced hundreds to flee their homes has been reunited with a new footbridge.
Schoolchildren will be first to cross the 170ft (52m) bridge connecting north and south Workington from 0800 GMT. Workington's new Barker Crossing, built by the Army, is named after Pc Bill Barker who died when Northside Bridge collapsed as he tried to clear traffic.
Royal Engineers have worked for a week to construct the temporary footbridge across the River Derwent. Schoolchildren were the first to cross the temporary bridge today, as heavy rain began to fall across the county.
Residents in the town have faced long detours to reach friends, relatives, shops and schools. The Met Office has warned of up to 15mm of rain within the next few hours.
The 110-tonne structure was brought to Workington in pieces from a holding base at the Halton Camp in Lancashire. The bridge was built in a week by the Army
The footbridge will be named Barker Crossing, in honour of a local police officer who was killed when flood waters destroyed two long-standing bridges over the River Derwent last month. The 170ft (52m) Barker Crossing, which spans the River Derwent, took one week to build.
A similar bridge was built by soldiers across a canal in Afghanistan The work was co-ordinated by the Army, with help from the Royal Engineers, Royal Logistic Corps, Royal Signals and the Royal Military Police.
Pc Bill Barker died trying to clear people from one of the bridges in the town which collapsed during the devastating floods. It is the first time since the floods that people in Workington have been able to cross the river, other than by rail.
The town's A597 Northside Bridge and a footbridge collapsed, while the Calva Bridge was left unstable when the river flooded in the early hours of 20 November. In addition to the collapse of Northside Bridge, a footbridge was also destroyed, and the town's Calva Bridge was left unstable.
The only remaining connection between the two sides has been a railway bridge. Since then some school pupils have endured three-hour bus journeys and strain has been put on the road network in West Cumbria.
Cumbria County Council has imposed traffic restrictions on both sides of the River Derwent ahead of the new bridge opening. Major Nigel Hindmarsh, of the Royal Engineers, said the new bridge had been constructed to withstand a one in a hundred year flood.
A spokesman said: "The location of the bridge has been chosen at a relatively narrow point of the river where the river banks are structurally sound. He said: "We can't counter against all eventualities, but what we've tried to do is make sure if there are any more repetitions of the other day then we'll be able to counter for that.
"The bridge will not be open for motor vehicles. It is a pedestrian footbridge which is not designed to sustain vehicles. I'm immensely proud of what my boys have achieved in the last ten days Major Nigel Hindmarsh, Royal Engineers class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/8387341.stm">Soldiers work to unite flood town
"Work is in hand to examine a number of options for a temporary vehicle bridge, but the immediate priority has been to connect communities on the north and south side of the river by the quickest means possible." "I'm immensely proud of what my boys have achieved in the last 10 days, but also it's just been amazing the community spirit and the support that we've had from the locals in everything that we've been doing."
Armed forces minister Bill Rammell MP and schools minister Iain Wright MP will open the footbridge alongside Brigadier Bill Aldridge, Commander 42 (North West) Brigade. The bridge is almost identical to one recently built by British Army engineers across a canal in Helmand Province.
Captain Caroline Graham-Brown from the Royal Engineer helped design the new temporary crossing in Workington. She said when the team first arrived at the site, it was under water.
She said: "It's amazing how quickly it's gone in. We got here two weeks ago, and the initial sort of site survey was the first thing that we undertook and since then it's really been a very, very short time to get the guys on the ground building it and then the bridge into the position that you see now."
Inspector Mark Wear, of Workington Police, said: "This footbridge is a tangible symbol of how we are starting to rebuild the area and getting back to normal.
"I am pleased that its name commemorates my friend and colleague Bill, who died saving lives right here in Workington. He was committed to serving his community and for him to be remembered in this way is a tribute to his memory."
Plans for a new temporary road bridge are expected to be outlined in the next few days.
However, it is thought that North and South Workington may not be reconnected by road until summer 2010.