Soft Market Testing on Design and Build Options for Walnut Tree Bridge Guildford

Guildford Borough Council, in partnership with Surrey County Council and the M3 Local Enterprise Partnership wishes to replace Walnut Bridge in the centre of Guildford. The existing bridge is narrow and has a western entrance that is ‘hidden’ within an existing building, so that only those with local knowledge know of the bridge’s presence. A new bridge structure will also act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the Bedford Wharf site. This pedestrian and cycle bridge forms a vital link between the Railway Station and the Town Centre.

The bridge forms a key component of the Guildford Town Centre Transport Package, with the remaining funding workstream from the M3 LEP secured in March 2016. Please review appendices to this document for further background to the bridge, including rationale, its fit with the overall package submission and funding mechanism.

The overall package was subject to public consultation closing on 15th November 2015. 79% of respondents agreed to the need for the replacement of the bridge. The Guildford Local Committee report including the results of the consultation for the overall package can be found here. The pre-feasibility report concluded that the following options should be taken forward for consideration:

Currently, the council officer preference is for the Cable stayed bridge, mast on station side option. This is mainly due cost considerations for both construction and maintenance.

The Council wishes to talk to potential suppliers about the following aspects:-

Design and build’ versus the ‘traditional’ approach (design and construction elements kept apart)