Decaying footbridge partially reopens as engineers continue investigations after chilling video of it wobbling

Part of a decaying footbridge relied on by primary school students in Perth’s western suburbs has been deemed too unsafe to reopen. The Pearse Street footbridge in Cottesloe was closed last week after chilling video footage showed it wobbling beneath a group of children. Engineers on Monday allowed the eastern section, over Stirling Highway, to reopen. Meanwhile, the western side over Curtin Avenue remains closed and people are advised to instead cross the road, which has been broadly regarded by local parents as unsafe. While the partial reopening allows pedestrians to get to a bus stop on Stirling Highway, Main Roads has given no indication on when or if the other side will reopen. “Investigations are ongoing for the western portion of the bridge, which will remain closed until further notice,” it said in a statement. “A detour from Curtin Avenue to Stirling Highway remains in place.” The agency acknowledged the inconvenience but insisted community safety was a “top priority” behind the undetermined length of the closure. “Main Roads will continue to work closely with the Public Transport Authority and the local government to seek a timely reopening of the structure,” the statement said. “We will continue to provide advice as the situation evolves.” The bridge was cordoned off last Wednesday by the Town of Cottesloe at the State Government’s request after Cottesloe Primary School principal Graham Dart took video of it swaying while children crossed. Local dad and councillor Michael Thomas, who has three daughters at the school, has been campaigning for the bridge’s issues to be addressed for years, along with a group of other parents. “I first noticed issues with it four years ago and it was one of the key reasons I ran for council,” he told The West. “It was more about accessibility at that point, but through that I realised it’s very old and has clear wear and tear. “It’s full of rusting in the seals and concrete and the wood is rotting.” Other parents have complained the bridge is not fit for purpose, has rotten wood, wobbles when you walk on it, does not link with the shared path and there is no safe alternative. Member for Cottesloe Sandra Brewer said that footage left her shaking with rage. “To see that bridge visibly swaying, that just sent shivers through me and other parents, and I contacted the minister immediately to demand an inspection and hopefully a plan to either maintain or rebuild this critical pedestrian bridge,” she said. Ms Brewer slammed the alternative walking route for students to get to school, labelling it a “disgrace”. “Those children now have to walk hundreds of meters in each direction and go to unsafe level crossings. So this bridge needed to be maintained for many years, and the fact it’s come to this really is a disgrace,” she said. There was also irony of the footbridge, utilised by hundreds of students daily to get to and from school, being shut on the week of National Walk Safely to School Day. “A week when parents were trying to get their kids to ride and to walk ... so what an indictment on the state government that this infrastructure would fail at that time,” she said. “The bridge clearly needs urgent repairs or a full replacement that’s accessible to cyclists, people with disabilities and most importantly, the children of Cottesloe Primary School.” Outside of the promise of ongoing investigations, no indication has been made on whether bridge will be reopened or demolished and replaced.