There are reports circulating that Bucks County Council is reluctant to replace the collapsed Ashford Lane footbridge over the Jubilee River. The real question here is not really about whether Bucks is happy, willing and able to pay for a new footbridge (say £1m). In fact there are three basic questions to be answered as follows:
Question 1) Four timber footbridges over the Jubilee River have now failed. (The Myrke footbridge is still usable for now.) The Environment Agency procured the timber footbridges in the late 1990’s. Explain why these footbridges did not have a design life comparable to the design life of the channel itself? Were they a cost-effective (i.e. low-cost or cheap) solution? Were they poorly manufactured or maintained?
Question 2) It is only 2026 and these timber footbridges are rotten and unusable after only about 25 years. After construction the Environment Agency passed these timber footbridges to the local authorities. The local authorities accepted responsibility. If these timber footbridges were sub-standard in design or material selection – surely there is a moral obligation, maybe even a duty on the Environment Agency to financially assist the local authorities with the replacements?
Question 3) If involved in these footbridge replacement projects, can the Environment Agency now be trusted to be part of – or to oversee – the procurement process?