Approval to allocate Advanced Design funding to:-
(a)Feasibility Study and design options for a footbridge/cycle bridge adjacent to Whessoe Road to facilitate the development of the Stockton
and a walking/cycling route from this bridge to the existing route adjacent to the River Skerne near Skerne Bridge – OR a tunnel from Bonomi Way to MacNay Street underneath the railway, before linking into the cycle route alongside the River Skerne.

As part of the development of the Stockton & Darlington Walking and Cycling 26-mile route, we have been considering how the route can work around the pinch point of the RHQ/North Road Station site.
We need a route that meets the criteria for the Stockton & Darlington Railway route i.e. as close to the line as possible; as well as meets the aspirations for RHQ, ensuring that there can be a secure site, a private siding, and Network Rail can retain their access.
Having met Network Rail on site this week, a route on the west of the line does not appear to be feasible due to the constraints of the space available, both within Network Rail land and the adjacent land ownership. Instead we have explored a possible route along the east side.
To facilitate this a bridge would be required adjacent to Whessoe Road. This has been discussed with both Network Rail and DBC Highways and agreement reached that it is a credible option to work up in more detail. It would be a similar situation to Parkgate Bridge but on a smaller scale, i.e. construction off site and then craning in the structure from the highway, adjacent to the railway.
To take this to the next stage we need to commission some feasibility work and initial advanced outline design. Based on the feasibility work undertaken for Parkgate Bridge it is estimated that it would cost about £30k. We do not have the resource available in house.
We would manage the process through both the WSP work for TVCA and the RHQ working group.

The second piece of feasibility work would look at whether it is possible to provide a bridge or tunnel to avoid the pinch point on Northgate.
There are two possible options - a bridge over Northgate parallel with the existing rail over road bridge. The site is constrained by the retail park but can make use of Network Rail land up until Skerne Bridge and then the route will have to go back down the bank to join the John Street route under the Skerne Bridge
The second is a tunnel under the railway, behind the wing wall (so shouldn’t affect the existing bridge) and then link into Macnay Street and the RHQ site.
This feasibility work would feed in directly to the RHQ access work so needs doing sooner rather than later. As these ideas are more ‘ambitious’ a relatively quick feasibility study should conclude whether to proceed or not with outline design. The cost is estimated at £15k.

To release up to £45k to undertake the feasibility work in two separate commissions on the basis that one commission can be undertaken by a bridge engineer but the other will require specialist tunnel engineering experience specifically associated with the railway.
To inform the Stockton and Darlington Railway project but also the masterplan for the RHQ site which is being presented to Scrutiny in September.

WSP is carrying out feasibility work along the Stockton & Darlington Railway route but their commission is coming to an end and does not go into this level of detail.

There is currently no budget to deliver the Stockton & Darlington Railway route.