Ashford Lane footbridge – simply so rotten in more areas than you can possibly imagine – that it collapsed into the Jubilee River. What an embarrassment! I think there is a need for some honesty, openness and transparency here. I will wait patiently.
So who is going to take the blame for the Ashford Lane footbridge problems (and all the others)? Will it be the designers, the material suppliers, the constructors – or maybe even the accountants? The images below record the rotten timber – unable to support even its own weight after only about 25 years. (The Jubilee River had a design life of 50 years.) The loss of strength and consequential structural failure is so extreme that the main horizontal supporting beams have become disconnected and displaced. The two main beams are completely separated from the deck, balustrade and handrails. In my opinion the use of mortice and tenon construction in this timber footbridge has facilitated water ingress at the joints. The design of the joints has accelerated the decay of the timber. In many places there is no visible evidence remaining of the joints – and the timber simply crumbles to the touch.
