Plan for bridge's future as it is added to risk register

TEESSIDE'S “iconic” Transporter Bridge has been added to Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register 2025.

- By DANIEL HODGSON Local democracy reporter [e-mail]

The landmark is the only site in the North East to have been added to the register this year, with 11 sites “saved” from the list during 2025.

Historic England explains that its register gives an annual snapshot of the health of England's valued historic buildings and places.

It helps to ensure they can be protected and continue to be enjoyed in the future, the public body sets out.

First opened in 1911, the Transporter was closed in 2019, following safety concerns, with monitoring equipment installed in 2024 to obtain data on how the bridge reacts to wind, tide and temperature.

Middlesbrough and Stockton Councils and partners including Tees Valley Combined Authority are currently identifying and implementing the next stages in the plan to restore the bridge.

The timeline provided by Middlesbrough Council explained that a principal designer has been appointed to work on a design to bring the bridge back into use.

This is expected to take up to 18 months. A principal contractor will then be appointed to carry out the work, which is expected to take up to five years, all of which is subject to funding being in place.

Discussions surrounding the future of the Transporter Bridge have made headlines over recent months.

In August, Tees Valley Conservative Mayor Ben Houchen said: “It is increasingly likely that £30m is not going to get close to needing to fix the Transporter Bridge as it is. And that would just be to make it safe, that’s not to bring it back into operation.”