Please see below update regarding the RVD Footbridge Lifts:
Current situation:
- The freehold of bridge is held by the GLA.
- The bridge is maintained by RoDMA under a lease to ensure a safe passage for the public.
- RoDMA is a not-for-profit who operate the Docks and maintain the infrastructure.
- RoDMA’s income is insufficient to maintain, refurbish or replace all assets. Therefore, assets are prioritised based on risk.
- The assets required to retain or maintain the water level and the moving road bridges are a higher priority than the footbridge.
- The bridge is not a public right of way.
- There is an ongoing issue, in both affordability and capability, of the lifts.
- The lifts are not designed for the longevity that they have been put under; they are construction site lifts that should have been taken out of service many years ago.
- The contractor ‘Alimak’ who designed and now maintain the lifts struggle to maintain them. Parts are obsolete and are usually manufactured ad-hoc.
- The contractor attempted to repair the lifts only last week but failed. They were also there three weeks ago and two weeks prior to that.
- If one side of the bridge lift fails, both are switched off. This is to protect vulnerable people if they were to go up the lifts and be stuck on the bridge.
- The timbers are currently going through a rolling replacement programme. They are not tested for safety, they are inspected daily by RoDMA staff. This year we replaced approx. 25% of the timbers. We also have a replacement stock which is used to replace the timbers when they have been damaged, usually through vandalism.
Planned for the future:
- There is a cash inject to replace the lifts which is being provided by the developer of the Silvertown Quays Development. Likely to be completed within 12 months of receiving the money.
- There is a low-level bridge being put in which will not require the use of lifts and will provide the short cut across the docks. Likely to be completed in 2027.
- We will continue our timber replacement programme. If at any time we believe the timbers to not be able to ensure a safe passage, we will close the bridge.
- We will continue to work with Alimak to attempt to keep the lifts working, even though it is unaffordable.
